Alley Oop! A SasuSaku
by High Rhulain
Summary: Sakura Haruno is the daughter of a deceased famous basketball player. To fulfill her father's dream, she dons wig and glasses and enters the allboys part time residential Firestone Academy! But she's not the only one keeping secrets... SasuSaku NaruHina
1. Welcome to Firestone!

_PHWEEEET_!

"Ladies and gentlemen, Sunakagure has won the City Championships!" the man on the loudspeaker announced. The nearly empty stadium groaned. The few people who had come to watch packed up their few belongings and headed for the exits.

Sakura grabbed her towel and mopped her wet brow. Next to her, the forward Ino wrapped her own towel around her neck and tipped her head back, pouring water into her parched throat. All down the bench, the rest of the Konoha girl's basketball team finished putting their belongings in their duffel bags. Sakura sat down and pulled off her basketball shoes, tying on her sneakers.

"Ladies, ladies, I know it's a harsh loss," Anko, the coach, said consolingly, "but at least we made it this far, eh?"

"Yeah, and Suna gets to go to districts," Ino muttered to her teammate. Sakura was burning with anger. The score still glared on the timeboard: 27 to 29. She had been going for that 3-pointer at the last second, and had missed. She glared at the offending net.

"Hey, pinky! Too bad you can't make an outside shot to save your life!" Temari, one of the girls on the opposing team, taunted as she passed their bench. Her friend sneered.

"Yeah! Were you trying to shoot from the 3-point or halfcourt?" Laughing, the victorious Suna team strolled away.

"Ignore her," Tenten gritted out through clenched teeth. She was the center on the starting line-up. Of all the players on the Konoha team, there were five main players. Sakura Haruno was the point guard, Aya the second guard, Tenten the center, Ino Yamanaka and Hinata Hyuuga the forwards or posts. They had played a tough game against Suna and lost.

"See you girls next season!" Anko called as the girls filtered away. Tenten stopped and looked up at the stadium.

"Man! It was almost empty! The guys get such _huge_ audiences for _their_ games."

"Yeah, and their season hasn't even started yet," Ino retorted. Sakura sighed.

"Man, I hate only playing in the summer and fall. I want to play in the _winter_."

"There's not a lot of girl's leagues open in the winter," Aya said sadly. "I've tried. They're all booked with Sunans and Iwakagurans. You can't get in, even with extra fee."

Sakura smacked her fist against her palm. "It isn't right! I'm _going_ to find a way to play this winter, trust me."

Sakura opened the kitchen door to find her mom crying.

"Mom! What is it?" Sakura asked, banging down her stuff. Her mom wiped her eyes.

"Oh, just thinking about your poor father. He always wanted your brother to go to Firestone Academy, you know. But the tuition's not free, and I can't get a discount anywhere!"

Sakura looked up at the photo of her dad hanging on the wall. Saki Haruno had been one of basketball's greatest stars, the point guard for Konoha's Fire Ninja. He had been unstoppable, and when he had been forced to retire because of lung cancer, he had taught his young Sakura everything he knew. Unfortunately, he had died before seeing her play a single game. A tear came to Sakura's eye, but she brushed it away.

"Mom, it's OK. We'll figure out how to get otoutou into Firestone."

"I checked on the Internet," her mom said, blotting her eyes with a hanky. "It said that if an older sibling already went to Firestone High, both siblings would receive a discount."

"So the more you send to Firestone High, the less tuition it is?" Sakura asked. Her mom nodded.

"Yep. But you know Firestone: it's an all boys' part-time residential school. You live there during the week, and go home over the weekends. It's all the way across town."

An idea suddenly clicked into Sakura's head.

"Mom! What if I pretended to be a guy and got Damien into Firestone?"

Her mom looked up. "You would enroll as Damien's older sibling to get the discount?"

"Why not?" Sakura babbled. "If we enroll under a different last name and change my appearance a little, no one would know."

"Well…" her mom looked doubtful. "I could get you a wig from the store, I suppose…"

Sakura's mom worked at a beauty salon and store, with a 15 employee discount.

"If I keep my head down and act smart," Sakura argued, "Damien'll have the time of his life, and you'll be fulfilling Dad's wish!"

"I don't like the idea of you living in a dorm with a bunch of guys very much," her mother insisted. Sakura sighed.

"Mom, I'm a basketball player. I think I can take care of myself."

It was true: Sakura's arms were strong from the exercise of shooting a ball a hundred times a day.

"They have a roommating system," her mom pointed out. "You'd be stuck with at least one guy."

"They give us separate beds, right?"

"Well…"

"Mom, don't you trust me?" Sakura wheedled. She played her final card. "It's for Dad!"

Her mother sighed. "Alright. If you're comfortable and _sure_ about doing this, I'll enroll both of you."

Sakura nodded firmly. Her mother shuffled through the papers and picked up a pen.

"We'll enroll you as Damien and…" she looked up at Sakura expectantly. Sakura gave the first name that came to mind.

"Sakumo," she said. Her mother raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Sakumo and Damien Hayaro," she continued. "Does that sound OK?"

"Sounds great," Sakura said, looking in the mirror and tugging on one short pink lock. "Is my hair short enough to be covered by a wig?"

"Yes," her mother said without glancing up from the forms she was filling out. "I'll get you one as soon as possible."

"I'll need glasses, to make my face look different," Sakura mused. "And make-up to change my face…oh, I'm _soo_ glad that Hinata was into stage art once, she taught me all about stage make-up."

Her mother smiled. "I'll get you the glasses and wig tonight. You'll need a uniform, too."

Sakura stood in front of the mirror and adjusted her wig slightly. She sighed.

"Well, this is as good as it's gonna get."

Sakura had bound a tight cloth around her chest to conceal her feminine form. It made her look like a skinny guy. Her whole body, proportional and full for a girl, looked effeminately strange on a guy. The glasses and long, spiky brown hair helped, Sakura thought, but just by looking at me, I can tell that I'm a girl.

"Sakura! The bus is here!" her mother called. Sakura took a deep breath and talked to her reflection.

"OK, my name is Sakumo Hayaro, I'm fifteen years old, I play basketball, and I'm going to Firestone High," she said. Then she went downstairs.

The bus for Firestone was not a bus, it was a luxury travel bus, Sakura thought. She and Damien boarded the bus, each wearing the required navy blue pants, white button-up shirt, and gold tie. Damien wore a navy blazer over top, Sakura wore a navy sweater. She looked like a geek, and she knew it. As she climbed on the bus and looked for a place to sit, someone waved to her.

"Hey, sit by me, dattebayo!"

Since it was a friend, Sakura took the invitation. She shoved her suitcase with a week's worth of stuff in it in the rack above the seat and sat down. The blonde boy with spiky hair next to her stuck out his hand.

"My name's Uzumaki Naruto, what's yours?" he chirped. Sakura blushed. He WAS rather handsome…

"Ha…Hayaro Sakumo," she said, shaking his hand. Naruto settled back in the cushy seat.

"Never been to Firestone, have you?" he asked. Sakura shook her head.

"Nope, it's my…" she cleared her throat and tried to imitate a deeper voice. "It's my first year."

Naruto nodded. "Well, it's cool at Firestone. You get a lot of privileges, but a lot of responsibility."

"Is there basketball, do you know?" Sakura tried to sound mildly interested. Naruto leaned forward.

"IS THERE BASKETBALL!?!" he yelped. The bus driver glared and Naruto settled down. "Of COURSE there's basketball!" he said. "It's the best sport in the world, isn't it?"

"Do you know when tryouts are?" Sakura asked. Naruto grinned.

"Should be this week. They like getting their team early."

"Who's they?" Sakura asked nervously. The bus stopped to allow several people to board. Naruto pointed.

"Look."

Sakura followed Naruto's finger to lay eyes on one of the most handsome men she possibly had ever seen. His sweeping black hair was cut at exactly the right length. It stuck up slightly in the back. The bangs in front fell perfectly into his onyx-hued eyes. She could tell, even through the uniform, that he was unnaturally strong and quick. She blushed, then remembered she was a guy.

"Yeah? What about him?" she asked. Naruto nodded.

"That's Sasuke Uchiha. He's the basketball team captain. Very strict, very tough, and impossible to beat. We made it to state last year under him."

"State…" It was a goal beyond Sakura's dream.

"Yup," Naruto said. "But our center and a forward and the point guard all graduated last year. The basketball season, if you make it to district, goes outside the normal school year. It overextends past graduation. But our three senior starters couldn't make the overextended season, they had to leave at graduation. Firestone went to District without three starters."

"Wow…gosh," Sakura breathed.

"Yeah," Naruto said, sighing. "We lost…BAD. Sasuke never forgave Suna for THAT one. One of their players, Gaara no Subaku, shot the winning shot. It was 11-45, that bad. Sasuke's determined to crush Suna this year."

"So am I," Sakura murmured. Naruto looked at her curiously.

"Huh? What was that, Sakumo?"

"Oh…nothing," Sakura said swiftly. Sasuke moved past them, his black eyes fixed on the rear of the bus.

"Hey, Naruto."

"Hey, Sasuke-teme," Naruto replied. For a second, Sasuke looked at Sakura. Jade and black eyes met in one confused second. Then Sasuke continued to the rear. He sat down beside a pale, tall boy with long brown hair.

"Neji."

"Sasuke."

Sasuke pulled out an iPod and plugged in. Naruto fished around and pulled out his own MP3. He offered an earphone to Sakura.

"Listen in?" he offered. Sakura took the proffered earphone. She smiled.

"You like Relient K, too?"

"YEAH!" Naruto said.

"Oh, it's you. Man, it's a drag, getting stuck in front of you," a lazy voice drawled. Naruto wrinkled his nose.

"Nice to see you too, Shikamaru."

The brown-haired boy with a ponytail shoved his suitcase under his seat (he was too lazy to put it into the rack) and plopped down in the seats in front of Naruto and Sakura.

"Who's the newbie?" he asked. Naruto shook Sakura's arm.

"This is Sakumo," he said. "I hope he's my roommate! He's awesome!"

Shikamaru looked at Sakura. "Be prepared for early mornings."

"Welcome, gentlemen, back to Firestone High," the voice over the intercom said as Sakura, Naruto, and Shikamaru rolled their suitcases into the huge stone building. "Today is Monday, orientation day. Your classes will begin in the afternoon, the morning will be spent unpacking. Please take your schedule at the front desks and locate your dorm room. Lunch is a 12:00 P.M. precisely."

Sakura dragged her bag to one of the front desks which had a letter 'H' taped to the front. A tired-looking receptionist looked up.

"Can I help you?"

Sakura nodded. "I need the schedule for Hayaro Sakumo."

"Hayaro…Hayaro…" the girl thumbed through the stacks of paper. "Ah, here you are." She handed Sakura a sheet of paper. "The Fire Building, Floor 3, Dorm 32. Next?"

Sakura was shouldered aside by the boy who had been sitting next to Sasuke on the bus. He looked her over. Sakura suddenly recognized his eyes. They were Hinata's!

"You look familiar," the boy said, jolting her back to reality. "Do I know you?"

"Do you know Hinata at all?" Sakura blurted out. The boy snorted.

"I should. I'm her cousin, Neji Hyuuga." His eyes narrowed. "How do YOU know her?"

"Um…my sister knows her," Sakura lied. "She's been over a few times."

"Hnn." Neji let his eyes roam up and down Sakura, stopping at her torso. Sakura couldn't help but blush. Quickly, she grabbed her stuff and headed away for her dorm room.

"Hey! SAKUMO!"

She turned to see Naruto coming up from the 'U' table, carrying his new schedule. He waved it at her.

"What building are you in?"

"F-Fire," Sakura stuttered. Naruto grinned.

"Really?! What floor?"

"3."

"So am I! What dorm room?"

"32," Sakura stuttered. Naruto's face fell.

"Shame! Oh well, we're in the same hall. That'll be great!"

Behind them, Sakura saw the hot boy from the bus get his schedule from the same table as Naruto and head off in the opposite direction. Her heart sank. He wasn't in her dorm…

"Come on!" Naruto squeaked, pulling her to the right. "Let's go!"

Sakura shook him off. "I've got to make sure my little brother's OK," she protested. "It's his first year, too."

"OK! See you in the dorm!" Naruto set off.

The elevator doors opened and Sakura found herself staring up a hallway lined with doors. Behind one of them lay her new room…and her new roommate. She looked at the numbers as she went. Room 1 was on her left, so the evens must be on the right.

26…28…30…32. There it was. Thankfully, the Fire building was relatively new, so each dorm room had its own bathroom. Damien's dorm had communal bathrooms. Sakura shuddered and tapped on the door.

"Hello?"

The door creaked open.


	2. Day 1

A/N: Sorry, forgot to introduce myself. High Rhulain, at your service! bows I hope you're enjoying Alley Oop so far! I know there are probably a million other fics similar to this one, but please, bear with me. I hope to make it worth your time. Oh, and I have NOTHING against gays!! See you at the bottom!

Rhulain

**Sakumo's Dorm**

"What do you want?" the boy repeated. Sakura was speechless. He was getting irritated.

"Fine. Stop stalking me. Geez, you gay creeps." He slammed the door in her face.

"Cat got your tongue?"

Sakura whirled around to see Neji leaning against the hall wall and smirking.

"Sasuke's a jerk. Don't mind him. Just stick up for your rights." Neji nodded at the door. Sakura nodded, gulped, and hammered on the door again.

"What DO you want, gay freak?!" Sasuke growled, opening the door. Sakura stuck out her hand.

"Hi, my name's Hayaro Sakumo, and I'm your new roommate!"

SLAM.

Neji chuckled. "Heh, he's stuck-up, alright."

The door opened a crack and Sasuke's head poked out.

"I heard that!" he snarled. Neji stood up and glared.

"Yeah, well get used to it. Come on, Sasuke, you've come here since first grade. Show some respect and sympathy to the newbie, eh?"

SLAM.

Sakura sighed.

"Wish me luck. I'm going into the jaws of the lion, here."

Neji laughed grimly.

"Eh, you'll need it."

The door next to Neji opened and a head poked out.

"NEJI! I need your youthful advice on how to arrange the room!" the boy said. Sakura's eyes popped. The boy in Neji's door had a bowl-shaped hair cut and strange looking eyes. He winked and saluted at her.

"Rock Lee, at your service! What might your name of youth be?"

"Sa-Sakumo," Sakura stuttered. Rock Lee shot her a dazzling smile.

"Pleased to meet you, Sakumo!" he said. He popped back into the room. Neji grimaced at Sakura.

"He's an…interesting roommate."

And with that, he turned and went into his dorm. Sakura sighed and turned the handle on her own room door.

Sasuke must have been in the bathroom, unpacking his stuff, because there was no one in the dorm room itself. It was painted a lovely shade of blue with gold trim. Two beds stood against the wall, two wooden dressers stood side-by-side, and a pair of curtains hung over the window. Sakura's eyes traveled to the dresser that was already occupied.

The drawers were open, filled with uniforms and casual clothing. A few keys sat on the top of the dresser, next to a few trophies and a basketball on a stand. Sakura picked it up and turned it over.

It was a plain old basketball, brownish-orange. She tossed it- it was a little larger than a woman's basketball, but she didn't care about size. She twirled the ball on her finger, making it go faster and faster. Then she stopped it and turned it over. And there it was.

On the far side of the basketball was an autograph, written in pen. The letters looked vaguely familiar.

A hand on Sakura's shoulder made her jump and turn around. Sasuke was there, glaring at her with every inch of his being. He relieved her of the ball with one flick of his hand.

"Don't" –he replaced it on the dresser- "EVER touch my stuff. Got it?"

Sakura nodded tremblingly. Sasuke kicked her bag to the far side of the room with his foot.

"You're over there," he said gruffly. "Just don't bug me, or you'll regret it."

Sakura nodded nervously, then started unpacking swiftly. Sasuke dusted off his basketball and replaced it on its stand. Then he pulled out a poster and began pinning it to the wall. Sakura recognized it as a basketball poster.

"Like the Fire Ninja?" she asked, trying to make conversation. Sasuke shot a glare at her, and she shut up. After putting her clothes away, Sakura pulled out a few personal effects and laid them atop her dresser. There was a photo of her friends on the basketball team, a photo of her mom and brother, and a photo of her dad. Sakura placed the ones of her friends and family on the dresser, but looked sadly at her dad in his uniform.

"Sorry, dad, but I can't put you up," she whispered.

"Shut up," Sasuke growled. Sakura glared at him.

"Look, this isn't YOUR room! You can't just tell me what to do…"

She drifted off as Sasuke actually took a step towards her.

"You wanna try and rule this roost, give it a go," he sneered, looking her over. "You don't look strong enough to move that bed."

"Sure I am," Sakura retorted. "I'm just not…"

"Not what?" Sasuke taunted. Sakura shrugged.

"Forget it."

"I will, thank you."

Sakura tucked her photograph of her dad away in her drawer. It would definitely make people suspicious. Then she pulled out her own poster of the Fire Ninja.

"That one's too old," Sasuke pointed out as Sakura stood on the bed to tack it up. "Those guys are from '63!"

"Yeah, and I liked that team," Sakura snapped. "What's wrong with that?"

Sasuke's eyes roved over the old players. "I can't believe you've still got that. It belongs in an antique shop!"

Sakura ignored him and lovingly stroked the creases out of the paper. Her eyes stopped on the player in the front, crouched, holding the ball. It was her father, Saki Haruno.

"There you go, Dad," she whispered. "You get to watch over me."

She didn't notice it, but Sasuke's eyes stole to the red-haired man immediately after she sat down.

**Lunch**

"So who's your roommate, Sakumo, dattebayo?" Naruto asked as Sakura joined them at the lunch table.

"Sasuke Uchiha," she said. Immediately, all the guys groaned.

"What?" she demanded.

"Unlucky!" a boy with fang-like teeth answered her. "Sasuke HATES having a roommate. They're almost always gone by the second week."

"Where to?" Sakura asked nervously. Another boy with black glasses shrugged.

"Home. Another dorm. Either way, he gets a whole room to himself." He leaned in conspiratorially. "You're the only one who's stood up to him so far."

"Oh, sorry, Sakumo!" Naruto apologized. "This is Kiba, and that's Shino." The boys nodded respectively.

"You know Shikamaru," Naruto said, "and that's Chouji there."

Chouji waved a hot-dog at Sakura before continuing to eat.

"Um…where's Sasuke sitting?" Sakura asked. The boys pointed.

"Over there, by himself. He gets a whole half table to himself, the brat," Kiba chirped.

"Move over, Shikamaru," someone said. Sakura looked up to see Neji and his roommate Rock Lee descending at their table.

"Hello, youthful Sakumo!" Lee greeted Sakura. She smiled nervously.

"Don't worry, he's always like that," Naruto whispered in her ear. Sakura immediately felt grateful.

"What's your first class?" Neji asked them.

"Math," Shikamaru said.

"Math," said Kiba.

"Mff," said Chouji.

"Math," said Sakura.

"Youth numbers, yes!" shouted Rock Lee.

"Math, dattebayo," grumbled Naruto.

"Guess it's all us sophomores," Neji said, sighing.

"What've you got?" Shino asked. Neji tossed his schedule on the table.

"Math," Sakura read off it. Neji nodded.

"Yup. We're the sophomores of Fire, we've gotta stick together."

"Why?" asked Sakura, immediately curious. Kiba pointed at the far table.

"See those guys?"

Sakura nodded.

"They're from the Leaf Building," Shikamaru said, his head propped on his hand. "And the guys there are from the Sarutobi Building."

"What's your point?" Sakura asked, trying to sound like a guy again. Shino looked at her as though she had a bug in her throat.

"Traditionally, the buildings have always been in competition," Naruto said. "We compete in lawn games, have races, compete for grades, that sort of thing. Classes do it together. So we sophomores of Fire have to get great combined scores against the sophomores in Leaf, or we suffer disgrace."

"What's wrong with that?" Sakura asked. She immediately knew it was the wrong thing to day. All the guys looked at her like she was stupid.

"It's a CONTEST, dattebayo!"

"A YOUTHFUL challenge!"

Kiba shook his head. "Gosh, Sakumo, is something wrong with your head?"

"Oh, right, right," Sakura said, waving her hands apologetically.

Geez, all this testosterone, inner Sakura groaned.

"What about Sasuke?" she asked, changing the subject. "Isn't he a Fire sophomore, too?"

Neji glanced over at the lone boy. "Yeah, but we don't worry about him. His scores are always at the top, so he only helps. Every year, the other buildings hope they get him. But we always do. Somehow, we've all been in the same building since we first got here."

"Except me," Shino said coolly. "I was in the Yondaime Building once."

"Yeah, but we've forgotten about that," Naruto said, waving him off. "The point is that we stick together all the time."

"So you're one of us, now!" cried Chouji, squeezing Sakura. "Like pieces of meat all grilling together!"

"UURF!"

"Knock it off, Chouji," Shikamaru said lazily. He turned to the others. "I'm his roommate again."

"I've got this kid called Sai," Naruto said, wincing. "He was in Leaf last year, never fails to remind me that they won last year."

"Only cause you failed almost every major test, Naruto," Kiba said snobbily. "If we just had one more perfect scorer…"

"Kiba and I are together," Shino said, cutting across his roommate.

"Youthful Neji and I are together!" Lee chirped.

"It was destiny," Neji growled at himself. "Just destiny…not that stupid receptionist who's mad at you for refusing a date…"

"And Sakumo here's got our ice cube Sasuke!" Kiba said, punching Sakura's arm. She rubbed it ruefully.

The bell rang.

"Whoops, we gotta get to class!"

**Math Class**

Sakura tapped her pencil on the desk and looked around. None of the other sophomores were disturbed by the fact that the teacher still had not arrived. Naruto was scribbling note after note and chucking them at Neji's desk. He, in turn, was dropping every single one of them into the wastebasket in sucession, unopened. Sasuke was right next to Sakura, having come in at the last minute before the bell. Finally, twenty minutes after the period had started, the teacher came in.

"Good morning, I'm Hatake Kakashi, sorry I'm late, I ran across a black cat…"

"LIAR!" yelled half the class. Neji actually threw Naruto's latest note at him. Naruto looked outraged that all his notes had been discarded so swiftly. Sakura giggled.

"Who's this?" asked Kakashi, pointing at Sakura. "Come up front and introduce yourself."

"Yeah, 'Hi, I'm a girl,'" one of the Leaf building sophomores behind her sneered. Sakura had jumped, then realized he was referring to her effeminate appearance. Oh well, it couldn't be helped. She took the front and faced her new class.

"Um, I'm Hayaro Sakumo, I live in downtown Konoha. I'm really glad…uh, psyched to be here at Firestone High," Sakura babbled, just desperate to keep her cover in a roomful of staring boys. Kakashi nodded.

"Great. Take a seat. Everyone get out your textbooks and read the first chapter."

It was, all in all, the absolute weirdest class Sakura had ever been in. There was no math to be described in this book, it appeared to be a porn story…

She glanced around, but no one else was reading. Sasuke had unearthed a real math textbook from somewhere and was doing the real problems. Sakura glanced over at his book and wiggled her pencil nervously. Then she summoned her courage and tapped him on the shoulder.

"What?" he hissed, glaring at her.

"Um…can I take a look at your book?" Sakura asked, pointing at his real textbook. Sasuke pulled it towards himself.

"Not now," he whispered.

_Not now…does that mean he'll give us the book?_ inner Sakura asked.

_Who knows?_ Sakura replied.

**Sakumo and Sasuke's Dorm**

"Wow, that was a long day," Sakura said, flopping down on her bed after dinner. "I'm tired, how about you?"

Sasuke was too busy with his History homework to answer. He pushed something across the floor at her.

"Here."

Sakura picked it up curiously. It was a heavy tome, entitled 'Algebra II'.

"You said you wanted it," Sasuke said without looking up. Sakura opened the book. It was full of the REAL math stuff.

"Wow, thanks…"

"And you might want to use this, too."

Sasuke unearthed a Biology text from his bag and tossed it with ease at Sakura. She caught it with a well-practiced hand.

"The teacher's rather…but he does put the real information on his tests," Sasuke said, not finishing his description of the teacher. "Almost every guy in the grade's gonna get one of these. I came prepared."

"OK. Anything else I should know?" Sakura asked, turning to the first chapter of the math book and pulling out a piece of paper. Sasuke glanced up from his History assignment.

"Steer clear of the Biology teacher. You're the type he looks for." And he returned to his work.

Sakura shivered. 'You're the type he looks for'…did that mean the Biology teacher was a pervert?

"Oh, and Art can be a bit…strange sometimes," Sasuke said lightly, turning a page in his text. "The teacher's strange there, too."

Sakura was beginning to have her doubts about the "great, learned teachers" the pamphlet for Firestone had mentioned.

"How many perverts has Firestone employed?" she demanded. Sasuke looked up and allowed a smirk to cross his face.

"You've got the gist of it."

"OK, then try this: how many NON-perverts teach here?" asked Sakura. Sasuke shrugged.

"Asuma's not bad, Ebisu's not an open perv, Gai is not pervy but he's odd, and Kakashi's not TOO bad, he just makes us read Icha Icha instead of math."

"Three out of seven…" Sakura murmured, examining her schedule. "Oh, this is gonna be a LOOONG year."

"Hnn," was Sasuke's reply. Sakura jumped as he slammed his textbook shut with a loud thump. Sasuke threw all his stuff back into his bag. He crossed to his dresser, pulled out some clothes, and went into the bathroom to change. Seconds later, he came out wearing a blue T-shirt and khaki shorts.

"Where are you going?" Sakura asked curiously as he bent over to lace up his Vans. Sasuke looked at her oddly.

"Has anyone told you you sound like a girl?"

"What does that have to do with my question?" Sakura burst out. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Basketball," he said, before trotting out of the room. It took only a second for his words to register with Sakura. She dashed over and grabbed her own change before shouting something out into the hall.

"Wait for me!"

When she emerged seconds later, Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.

"Jerk," Sakura muttered as she dug in her bag for the map of the campus. "Come on…"

"Where are you going?"

Sakura spun around. In the doorway of her dorm was Neji. He was spinning a basketball on his finger.

"Me?"

"I don't see anyone else around, do you, Sakumo?"

"Are you going to play basketball?" Sakura asked him. Neji shrugged.

"Yeah. You coming?"

Sakura nodded. Neji chestpassed the ball to her, she caught it like a pro. Neji motioned.

"Come on."

**Basketball Courts**

"Why aren't we indoors?" Sakura asked Neji as they trotted into the fence-enclosed cement basketball courts. He shrugged.

"That one's the really nice one that the team uses. The rest of the time, we chill out here."

Sakura went over to the rack and pulled out a ball. It was much larger than the one she used in women's basketball, almost the size of her head. But her father had taught her to play using a man's ball, and it didn't take long for Sakura's hands to adjust to the larger size.

**Flashback**

"Steady, steady, now, Sakura, hold it," her father warned. A tiny, pink-haired girl was dribbling a ball larger than her head around her legs and in between them- all with a blindfold on. It was too much…she lost the ball. Her father retrieved it and pulled the blindfold off.

"Maybe you're not ready for this," he said. The little girl looked up at him curiously.

"Can YOU do it, Daddy?"

Her father smiled and put the blindfold around his eyes. With his little girl watching bug-eyed, he dribbled back, forth, between, under, around, and every possible place he could dribble a basketball while keeping his pivot foot still.

"Will I REALLY be able to do that?" the girl breathed. Her father pulled off the blindfold and smiled.

"With my help, and a little luck, you will."

**End Flashback**

"Hey, LOOK AT SAKUMO!" Naruto bellowed. All the guys on the court stopped and turned to see what Naruto had seen. Sakumo had his eyes closed, and he was dribbling like a maniac: back, forth, around his body, behind his head…

It was almost beyond belief.

"Sakumo!" Naruto shrieked, "how are you DOING that?!"

Sakura came back to earth with a jolt.

"Huh?" She noticed everyone gaping at her. "Oh…just muscle memory," she confessed. "I don't do that very often on the court."

"Huh, and neither do the Harlem Globetrotters," she heard Neji mutter.

"HOW YOUTHFUL, Sakumo-kun!" Lee cried, anime tears running down his face. "You must teach me!"

"A basketball player is more than just fancy dribbling," a cold voice interrupted. Sasuke was at the free throw line, gazing at the rim, but he still spoke loud enough to be heard by the court. "A real basketball player can pass, run, and shoot."

To accent his point, he shot a perfect penalty. All net.

Sakura came up to him.

"A REAL basketball player can back up his words," she said tauntingly. The boys began to gather.

"Ooh, Sasuke, looks like you just got CHALLENGED," Kiba grinned. Sasuke glared at the brown-haired Sakumo. Sakumo grinned at him.

"Wanna shoot?"

Sasuke smirked.

"You're on."

Sakumo threw away his ball and headed for the goal, first stopping to give his glasses to Naruto. Sasuke dribbled up to half-court, where he turned around.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Sakumo taunted. Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"Don't get cocky," he warned.

Sakumo was good…he wove in front of Sasuke, suddenly appearing right where Sasuke wanted to drive. He forced Sasuke to weave, change hands, dribble with all his skill. Sasuke was forced to pull up way outside the 3 point line and shoot.

There was a thunk as it hit the metal that attached the hoop to the backboard. The ball shot straight up with a bit of backspin on it. The whole group watched as it descended…

And went right through the net.

Everyone was shocked.

"Lucky shot," Sakumo said, trying to pass it off. Sasuke caught his own rebound and passed it hard to Sakumo.

"Hnn. Your turn."

Sakumo, if possible, was as good if not even better than Sasuke. The ball was moving so continuously that if Sasuke took his eyes off it for a moment Sakumo made a move to get by him. It was tough, defending this good of a dribbler. But Sasuke finally managed to get Sakumo to pick up his dribble. It was a mistake.

Sakura was close to panicking. Sasuke had forced her to stop dribbling a little too far away from the 3-point line. It was almost the same shot she had had to make at the City championships. She ducked, pulled the ball back, keeping her pivot foot steady, anything to give her a bit of time. But Sasuke was good- he pressed his advantage, leaning in for the ball. Sakura leaned back for a fadeaway shot. She jumped…the ball left her fingers, spinning backwards perfectly…it was GOING to make it, after all…

Then she saw Sasuke leap up, his muscles moving in perfect harmony. His hand went high, reaching for the ball…

And the ball slammed down on the pavement behind Sakumo. The onlookers groaned.

"Nice try, Sakumo, dattebayo!" Naruto said, draping an arm around Sakura's shoulders.

"Yeah, I've never seen anyone play like that. You almost beat the home champ!" Kiba said, punching Sakura's arm. Naruto handed Sakura back her fake glasses, which she put on.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he watched Sakumo receive the adulations of his friends. When they had played one-on-one, Sakumo had had no trouble seeing the ball. In fact, it was almost impossible to tell if he was near-sighted or far-sighted – he never squinted once.

There was definitely something different about his roommate.

So, how am I doing? This is the first fic I've posted here, so no flames, plz! Again, I already know that some ppl probably already have stories like this, I promise, I DID NOT PLAGIARIZE. More to come:P

Rhulain


	3. Day 2 Classes Begin!

**Day 2: Sasuke and Sakumo's Dorm**

Sakura awoke with the dawn, yawning and stretching. Across the room, Sasuke was asleep in the next bed, his chest lightly rising and falling as he slept.

_Shannaro! He's not wearing a shirt!_ Inner Sakura said in delight. Sakura shuddered.

_Geez, the pervertedness of the teachers must be rubbing off on me._

Once inside the bathroom, Sakura allowed herself to take off the fake brown wig. She unwound her cloth and sighed in relief as her form took its natural shape. The shower felt great on her pounding forehead.

After getting clean and getting dressed, Sakura reapplied her make-up so that she looked like a boy, fastened on the wig, and put on the glasses.

"I really should think about dyeing my hair," she said out loud to her reflection in the mirror.

"You should indeed," a voice behind her said. Sakura jumped and turned around. Sasuke was standing in the doorway, a towel over his arm. Sakura's eyes traveled once more over his shirtless chest…

"Do you mind?"

Sakura leapt back as he slammed the door in her face. She shrugged and looked around the room, trying to find something to do before breakfast, which was in five minutes. The sound of Sasuke's shower ran throughout the quiet room. Through the walls, Sakura could hear the other boys stirring. The first rays of sunlight came through the window and fell on Sasuke's dresser. Sakura's eyes lit upon the basketball perched there.

_Why not?_ Inner Sakura said. _It's not like he's coming out…_

Sakura crept over to his dresser and lifted the basketball. She quickly found the autograph which Sasuke had prevented her from reading last time. No wonder it had been familiar. Sakura's eyes widened as she read the autograph:

**Haruno Saki**

Sakura nearly dropped the ball. So Sasuke was a fan of her dad's! But then why had he protested when she had pinned up the poster of the '93 Fire Ninja? It was all very strange…

"I thought I told you not to touch my stuff!"

Sakura spun around, eyes wide in horror. Sasuke had emerged from the bathroom, wearing only his pants, his towel around his neck, catching the water from his dripping hair. He dug in his drawer for another shirt and tie.

"Stupid cleaners…forgetting to pick up yesterday's stuff…" he muttered. Sakura inched away, thinking she could leave before he noticed. Sasuke didn't even turn around.

"Don't move."

Sakura froze.

Sasuke finished getting dressed with his back to his roommate. Really, this guy was starting to get on his nerves. He'd said CLEARLY not to touch his stuff, and this dude was just all into it!

"I…I'm sorry," he heard Sakumo stutter in that girlish voice of his. "I was just wondering who signed your ball. I…I didn't mean to…"

"Hnn. Forget it." Sasuke waved a hand over his shoulder. "Go away."

He heard the door open and close as Sakumo left the room.

Sakura leaned back against the door, sighing in relief. What kind of person WAS this Sasuke? Sure, he was good-looking, but so WEIRD! She shrugged it off and went down to breakfast.

Meanwhile, Sasuke went back into the bathroom to wash his face. He turned on the spigot, then noticed something lying beside the sink.

"Hnn, the kid sheds hair," he murmured, picking it up to throw it on the floor. Then he stopped and brought his hand back to his face. The water ran unnoticed.

Sasuke was holding two pink hairs.

**Biology**

"Ssso, we'll sssstart ssssemessster by sssstudying ssssnakesss," the biology teacher hissed. Sakura shuddered. This teacher sounded like a snake himself.

"I am Orochimaru, your teacher," the snake-like man with strange eyes and earrings hissed. "And thessse are my petsss."

He stroked the black mamba and boa constrictor that had slithered up the desk and onto his shoulders.

At the end of the period, Sakura tried to get out of the class as fast as possible. But the teacher stopped her.

"What'ssss your name?" he asked. "I've never ssssseen you around here before."

"Uh…I'm Hayaro Sakumo, the new student," Sakura said nervously. Orochimaru winked at her.

"Well then, welcome to Firessssstone, Sssssakumo."

Sakura didn't like the way he rolled her name around in his mouth before spitting it out, but she couldn't help it. She got away as fast as she could.

"What now?" Sakura asked Naruto. He waved his schedule at her.

"Spanish."

The teacher here was named Morino Ibiki, and he did nothing but spout furious Spanish at the whole class. It was obvious that he was threatening them, but since she didn't know Spanish, Sakura had no idea what he was saying. The rest of the class just fell asleep until Ibiki threw an eraser or marker cap at them. Finally, Sakura raised her hand after a futile half an hour of trying to take notes.

"Um, excuse me, sir? Can you speak a little more slowly?"

"Yeah, and in English!" one of the Yondaime sophomores called. Ibiki swelled up and turned red. Just as he began spouting a horrendous stream of Spanish, the bell rang. Everyone packed up and left, with Ibiki still yelling random Spanish at them from the classroom.

"That was…weird," Sakura said as she caught up to Kiba, Shino, and Shikamaru. Shino nodded.

"Ibiki's been struck by lightning one too many times. That's why he has all those scars on his face, see? Well, ever since the ninth time, his brain's been stuck spouting Spanish. He's yelling real things at us, just all in Spanish."

_Interesting,_ Inner Sakura said.

_Oh, shut up,_ Sakura told herself miserably.

**Lunch**

"Well, that was the STRANGEST assortment of teachers I have ever seen!" Sakura announced as they sat down to lunch. Neji stared at her.

"You don't come to Firestone for the teaching. Everyone knows that."

"Then I don't see why my dad wanted me to come here in the first place," Sakura said miserably. Shikamaru glanced up from where he had his head on his arms.

"Actually, it's not that bad in the middle and elementary grades. They have some awesome teachers. It's the high school that has weird teachers. But no one comes here for the high school teaching."

"Then why DO they come here?" Sakura asked in exasperation.

"For the basketball," Shino said seriously. Sakura eyed him.

"Really?"

"Yeah, and the soccer, and the lacrosse, and the swimming…" Naruto listed off all the Firestone sports in one breath. It was a long breath. While Naruto recovered from being purple, Kiba took over.

"You can go a long way on a sports scholarship," he said, "so a lot of guys stay here, hoping to win a scholarship for their soccer, or their football, or whatever. Every guy in this room" – he motioned behind him – "plays some sport for Firestone. You can count on it."

"Whatever," said Sakura. She caught sight of Sasuke on his own again.

"So when're basketball tryouts?" Naruto asked Neji. Neji shrugged.

"No idea. You'd have to see our team captain."

"I'm not going over there ALONE," Naruto protested. "I'm not THAT stupid."

"Oh, let's all go together," Sakura said with a sigh, picking up her tray. The guys stared at her.

"Are you crazy, Sakumo?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah, do you wanna get your head bitten off?" Kiba added. Sakura frowned.

"Come on, guys, it's one of him and what, eight of us? I don't think he can jump one without the rest of us pulling him off."

"True…"

Sasuke looked up from his lunch as the rest of the Fire sophomores descended on his table.

"What the-" he grunted. Then Chouji sat next to him, and all was chaos.

Finally, after Chouji had been gagged and tied up and was under the table, Sasuke glared at the seven boys.

"Why are you here?" he growled.

"We wanna know when tryouts are," Rock Lee sang. Sasuke waved a hand at them.

"Don't bother me – ask Coach."

"You know very well that we can't find Coach even if we looked for him," Neji answered. "So tell us, Sasuke. I KNOW you know."

Sasuke sighed. "8 to 11, Friday night."

"Got it!" Naruto cried, holding up his PalmPilot. He winked at an astounded Sakura. "I got it for my last birthday. Keeps me straight - like a ramen noodle!"

"Are you gonna try out, Sakumo?" Kiba asked. Sakura nodded.

"What position?"

"I think I'll go out for point guard," Sakura said, putting a bite of food in her mouth. The table went silent. Sakura took the bite, still on the fork, out of her mouth.

"What?"

Then Sasuke sent her such an evil glare that she nearly toppled off the bench.

"Dude, that's SASUKE'S position," Shikamaru said. Everyone was frowning at the newbie. Sakumo shrugged.

"Then I guess he'll have to move over."

Now it was Sasuke's turn to nearly fall out of his seat.

"Are you insinuating something here, NEWBIE?" he hissed. Sakumo shrugged, but didn't look at him.

"Maybe I am."

Kiba shook with sarcastic laughter.

"Dude, Sakumo, no one can beat Sasuke. NO ONE. It's not possible."

"I heard that Suna beat him, 11-45," Sakumo said acidly, taking another bite. Sasuke's eyes and nostrils flared.

"Shut up, Hayaro," he said quietly. Sakumo smirked at him.

"Ooh, hit a nerve?"

"I said SHUT UP!" Sasuke roared. The whole cafeteria turned to them. Sakumo leapt to his feet.

"I don't give a holler what anyone says, you're no legend yet!" he cried. "You're not INDISPOSABLE!"

"SHUT UP, HAYARO!" Sasuke yelled. Kiba and Shino grabbed his arms as he lunged across the table at his roommate.

"What are you gonna do?" Sakumo taunted. "Yell at me?"

Sasuke was almost foaming at the mouth. This roommate had gone too far.

"You DON'T BELONG HERE!" he yelled.

"You're right. I'm here only because of my family," Sakumo replied viciously. "I'm here because I LOVE my family."

Sasuke's eyes blazed. "Family's not worth loving," he spat.

"How would you know?" Sakumo growled, before turning around and stalking away. Sasuke knocked Kiba and Shino off.

"I'm NOT FINISHED WITH YOU, HAYARO!" he called after him. "NOT BY A LONG SHOT!"

"Well, let's hope somebody doesn't block you then," Sakumo said nastily, before disappearing down the hall.

In a few minutes, normal noise levels had been reestablished. Sasuke got up and shoved his tray away.

"Hnn."

He, too, stalked away. Kiba, Shino, Naruto, Neji, and Rock Lee all stared at each other. Shikamaru was asleep, and Chouji was still under the table.

"What do you suppose THAT was all about?" Kiba asked.

"No idea," Shino shrugged. "But I have a feeling Sakumo and Sasuke won't be rooming together for much longer."

Sasuke and Sakumo's Dorm, After Classes

"Well, I'm glad THAT's over," Sakura snarled, marching into the bathroom, slamming the door and pulling of her wig. "I'm SICK of Uchiha acting like he can get anything he wants!"

Outside, in the dorm room, Sakura heard the door open. She quickly refastened her wig and cleared her throat to regain her deep voice. Flushing the toilet even though she hadn't used it, Sakura emerged, pulling a sweatshirt over her head.

But it wasn't Sasuke who was standing there, in the dorm. It was Neji.

"Dude," he said when Sakumo came out. "Where have you been?"

Sakumo shrugged at him. "I dunno, sitting in my dorm?"

"Party in Naruto and Sai's room, pre-tryout party." Neji looked around the room. "I'm guessing you won't want to stay in here alone with Uchiha, after what happened today."

Sakumo nodded miserably. "Alright. Give me five, and I'll be there. Thanks for letting me know."

"No problem." Neji turned towards the door, then stopped as his eyes caught sight of one of the pictures on Sakumo's dresser. He picked it up curiously.

"Why do you have a picture of my cousin?"

Sakura froze. That was the picture of her team…

"Oh, it's just…my sister and her friends," she made up swiftly. Neji nodded suspiciously.

"Who's who?"

"Well, you know Hinata, the girl next to her with the two buns is Tenten, her best friend," Sakura said, doing her best not to blush or drop a part of her story. "Ino, the blonde, is my…my sister's best friend, and the pink-haired girl is my sister."

"You guys don't look very alike, do you?" Neji observed, looking down at Sakumo. Sakura blushed.

"N…No."

"Does your sister play basketball, too?" Neji pointed at the ball that the Sakura in the picture was holding. Sakura nodded.

"Yeah."

"Hnn. Well, any older sister of yours is bound to play a great game…wait a minute– you're the same height!"

"Yeah, we're twins," Sakura wildly invented. Neji glanced at her. "Maternal," she amended. "We don't look anything alike."

"I'll say not." Neji returned the picture to the dresser. "You coming?"

"Yeah!" Sakura exclaimed, relieved to have gotten off Neji's grill.

**Naruto's Dorm**

"…so we were on the Ferris Wheel, when she grabs me, and I say, 'What's wrong?' And she says, 'It's going too fast!'"

Laughter broke out as Kiba wound up his story about his girlfriend. Shino was not amused.

"Watch it, Kiba," he warned. "If you slur my sister…"

"Hey, man, we're tight!" Kiba protested. "I'm not gonna risk Megumi for anything!"

"Just making sure," Shino said. He turned to Neji.

"Don't you have a girlfriend, Neji? Your cousin's best friend?"

"Why does everyone always assume that Tenten and I are together?" Neji growled, as the boys broke out into laughter, all except for Shino. "She's always at our house, OK? I know her pretty well, I kind of have to, she practically lives in our house…"

"How about you, Sakumo?" Naruto asked, leaning on Sakura's shoulder. "Got a girl?"

"N…no," Sakura stammered, feeling her face heat up. Everyone laughed.

"So Sakumo's the newbie in the ways of Firestone AND of love!" Chouji said.

"Not really- he might have us all trumped," Neji said. "He's got a picture of four girls in his room."

"FOUR girls?! What are you, a quadruple-crosser?" Naruto demanded, as everyone laughed again.

"Not really…one of them's my sister…" Sakura protested.

"Bring it here!" Shikamaru called. "Let's have a look!"

Sakura had no choice. She went to grab the picture and returned to the party.

"Wow, they're HOT, too!" Naruto squealed, grabbing the framed photograph. "Look at the one in the middle!"

"Hey, that's me…my sister!" Sakura snarled. The room burst out laughing again.

"Ooh, Naruto got PWNED!" Kiba called. Shino pushed him.

"Look who's talking, Mr. I-date-Shino's-hot-sister…"

"I like the blonde, personally," Shikamaru said, taking a swig of soda. "What did you say her name was again?"

"Ino, Yamanaka Ino," Sakura stuttered. She hoped Ino didn't mind her giving out her name to a bunch of guys. Hopefully she'd think Shikamaru was hot, or at least cute…

"That's Hinata, Neji's cousin," Naruto pointed out, then lowered his voice.

"She's kinda cute, but don't tell Neji I said that!"

"I won't," Sakura said, making a mental note to tell Hinata this weekend that she had a secret admirer.

"That's Tenten," Neji said absently, pointing to the girl with two buns who was standing behind the Sakura in the picture. Sakura was crouching, holding a basketball, Tenten was standing behind her, giving a peace sign with her tongue stuck out, Ino had a hand on her hip and was giving a thumbs-up on the right side, Hinata was poking her forefingers together on the left of the photograph.

"Do they all play basketball?" Kiba asked. Sakura nodded.

"OOH! Who is the YOUTHFUL pink-haired girl!" Lee cried. For an instant, Sakura froze, thinking he was referring to her. He was- the her in the picture.

"Didn't you hear, Lee? That's Sakumo's twin sister!" Naruto yelled, banging Sakura upside the head with his elbow. "Oops, sorry, Sakumo…"

"Wow…" Lee murmured. "Well, Sakumo, if I ever see her, I shall confess UNDYING YOUTHFUL LOVE!"

Sakura twitched. This guy had a crush on her?!?!

"Eh, looks like Sakumo won't let ya, Lee," Kiba said, leaning on Lee's arm. "He's getting angry, look at him twitch!"

"My apologies, Sakumo-san! I will do 10,000 laps to make it up!" Lee said dejectedly.

"No, no, that's OK!" Sakura said hastily. Naruto clapped her on the shoulder.

"What do you guys say we play a game!" he yelled.

"Which one?" Shino asked.

"Truth or Dare!" Naruto grinned.

"Dobe, you only play that when there's a good-looking girl in the game," someone said from the doorway. Everyone turned to see Sasuke slouch into the room. "That way, you have a chance of kissing her."

"Sasuke!" Kiba said, pretending to be in shock. "I didn't know you THOUGHT about GIRLS, much less KISSING one!"

Sasuke ignored him and sat Indian-style on the floor. "Are we playing or not?"

The rest of the sophomores settled down. Sakura found herself with Naruto on her left and Chouji on her right. Sasuke was almost dead across from her. He sent her a death glare before Shikamaru opened it up.

"Neji: Truth or Dare?"

"Truth," Neji said, smirking. He knew the kinds of pranks guys his age could play, he was not about to fall for one of them.

"Have you ever thought about asking Tenten out?" Shikamaru demanded. Neji went red.

"Come on, Neji, tell the truth!" Naruto called. Neji sighed.

"Alright. Yes."

"Yes, what?" Shikamaru said, a steely glint in his eye.

"Yes, I have thought about asking Tenten out," Neji admitted, going red.

SHANNAROOO!! Inner Sakura screamed. Now you can tell Tenten!

Shut up and play the game! Sakura scolded herself. Shikamaru was next to Chouji, who went next.

"Kiba: Truth or Dare!"

"Dare." Kiba crossed his arms and tried to look tough.

"I Dare you…to an eating contest with me!" Chouji cried. Kiba blanched visibly.

"When?" he asked, trying to keep a stern visage.

"This weekend!" Chouji said. Kiba nodded.

"You're on."

Sakura was next.

"Um…" she scanned the eager faces. "Shikamaru! Truth or Dare!"

"Eh, Truth," said Shikamaru, who was too lazy to follow through on a dare. Sakura thought fast.

"How many times have you kissed a girl?" she demanded. All the guys leaned forward.

"This should be interesting," Naruto whispered. Shikamaru turned red.

"How many?" Sakura demanded again. Shikamaru's lips moved.

"T…two," he whispered. Everyone burst out laughing.

"But I don't have to tell you names!" Shikamaru howled over the fracas. Now it was Naruto's turn.

"Sasuke-teme! Truth or dare!"

"Hnn. I'm not stupid, dobe, I saw what happened last time you dared someone to do something. Truth."

"OK…" It appeared Naruto hadn't been prepared for this one. He screwed up his eyes in concentration, then lit up visibly.

"I've got it!"


	4. Day 4: Confessions are Confusing

_**Recap from Day 2**__: Sakura is starting to settle into the routine at Firestone, though she has discovered that almost every single one of her teachers has perverted tendencies. But that's not the issue weighing on our heroine's mind right now._

At a party in the dorm, Sasuke confessed during a game of Truth or Dare that he would kiss Sakura if he got the chance. Naruto showed Sasuke a picture of Sakura with her friends. Everyone in the room was under the impression that the Sakura in the picture was 'Sakumo''s sister. But Sakura knows the girl in the picture really is...HER! What on earth is she to make of the confession of her handsome roommate?

It's been two days since the fateful game of Truth or Dare...

**Day 4: Sasuke and Sakumo's Dorm**

It was way past midnight, but Sakura was still wide awake. The room was filled with the soft sounds of Sasuke's light breathing as he slept, but Sakura could not find sleep anywhere. The scene from the game two days ago kept replaying itself through her head.

**Flashback**

"Hnn. I'm not stupid, dobe, I saw what happened last time you dared someone to do something. Truth."

"OK…" It appeared Naruto hadn't been prepared for this one. He screwed up his eyes in concentration, then lit up visibly.

"I've got it!" He leaned across Sakura and grabbed the photograph of the four girls. He put a finger to his lips and winked at Sakura, then shoved the photograph across at Sasuke.

"See the girl with pink hair?" Naruto demanded.

"Hnn."

"Would you kiss her?" asked Naruto. Sakura froze. Naruto poked her, trying to keep her quiet.

Sasuke studied the picture for a long time. Finally, he threw the picture back with a snap of his wrist.

"Maybe. Only if she played a REALLY good game of basketball. I'd consider her then."

Naruto crossed his arms.

"You didn't answer the question, teme."

"What? I said, 'maybe', depending on some key factors!"

"She's holding a basketball, you can tell that she's good," Naruto pointed out. Sasuke frowned.

"That doesn't necessarily mean she's good at basketball, dobe."

"It doesn't matter, Sasuke, ASSUME that's she good at it!" Naruto howled. Sasuke sighed.

"Fine. Yes, I would."

Everyone burst out into howls of laughter. Sasuke's eyebrow went up.

"D-dude," Kiba choked out, "th-that's S-S-Sakumo's twin s-s-sister!"

Sasuke glared across the circle at Sakura. She was the only one not laughing. Instead, she met his gaze with absolute horror. Had Sasuke just said what she thought he'd said?

Sasuke's mind spun as he looked across at Sakumo. He wasn't laughing, on the contrary, he looked as though he might faint. Girly man. Sasuke's mind stole back to those pink hairs he'd found in the bathroom- this didn't explain how they'd gotten there. Sakumo had a sister, who also played basketball, Sakumo's sister's hair was pink, and there had been pink hairs in the bathroom…

_It's gotta be a coincidence,_ Inner Sasuke muttered.

_This is all really weird,_ Sasuke replied.

_Darn right,_ his inner agreed.

**End Flashback**

"Sasuke thought he could kiss me?" Sakura murmured. She froze as a noise came from Sasuke's bed, but it was only him moaning in his sleep as he turned over.

"Itachi…go away…Itachi…"

Sakura ignored him and let her mind continue on its rant.

The next thing she knew, the alarm was ringing. Sakura sat up with a jolt, feeling the covers slide off her. Had she really fallen asleep?

Sasuke's bed was empty this early in the morning. His room key was gone, Sakura thought he must have gone for a jog. She leapt out of bed, grabbed her uniform, and headed for the bathroom.

The shower felt good on her real hair, which was growing greasier as it spent time under the wig.

"Thank goodness Saturday's in two days!" Sakura said. Then she remembered: tryouts were Friday night. Late. Did that mean she'd have to stay an extra day?

She climbed out of the shower and towel-dried her hair so she could fit the wig over it. Then she looked sadly at the cloth bindings.

"I hate those things, but I gotta wear em," she said softly. As she was finished getting dressed, a knock came on the door.

"How long does it take you?" Sasuke called from outside. "You spend about as much time in there as a girl would."

Sakura jumped and opened the door.

"OK, OK, I was just finishing up!" she said, sounding indignant. "Gosh, you make it such a big deal."

"Maybe it is," Sasuke said seriously, before disappearing into the bathroom.

**Dinner**

"So, Sakumo, are you staying over the weekend for tryouts?" Shino asked as the sophomores sat down to dinner.

"Um, yeah…"

Sakura was a little nervous about staying for the weekend with a bunch of pumped-up boys. But then again, it was basketball!

"You do know that, if you make the team, you spend the first two weekends at basketball camp?" Naruto said seriously, leaning across the table.

"Two weekends without going home, plus this one for tryouts!" Sakura wailed. The boys nodded.

"Yep. If you wanna play basketball at Firestone, you gotta get serious," Neji said. Sakura clenched her fists.

"Alright, then. I'll do it! Even if it means going for three whole weeks without seeing my mom!" Sakura said, punching her fist into her palm.

Shino looked at her curiously. "I thought you said you were here because of your dad."

"Oh yeah…he passed away from cancer a few years back," Sakura said sadly. "It was always his dream that my brother and I go here."

"Did he teach you how to play ball?" Kiba asked. Sakura smiled.

"Yeah, he loved it."

"Was he any good?" Lee asked. The others shushed him, but not before Sakura could answer.

"He was-" she stopped, unwilling to go further.

"He was what?" Shikamaru pounced on her unfinished sentence. "Did he teach you how to work a ball like that?"

"No," Sakura lied, "I taught myself." She hated lying like this, but if they ever found out who her dad REALLY was, they could do a little research and find out who SHE was. And that would lead to disaster.

"Hey, man, sorry about that," Naruto apologized as Sakura came back to reality. Everyone was staring at her in sympathy, all thinking that she was still sad about her dad.

"No, it's fine," Sakura said. "It just means that I can't be there for my mom for three weeks."

"I thought your sister was there," Shikamaru said curiously. Sakura cursed herself for her mistake.

"Yeah, but I'm the oldest, and I have a job on the weekends, so it helps when I'm home," she said. Neji looked a bit suspicious. If Sakumo really had to have a job to support his family, how on earth had he managed to pay the tuition for Firestone?

Thankfully, the bell rang at that moment, signaling the end of dinner, so Sakura managed to scoot to her dorm swiftly and avoided any questions.

**Sasuke and Sakumo's Dorm**

"Ugh," Sakura said, tapping her pencil against her teeth. Out of all the teachers at Firestone, the only one who really assigned difficult work was Asuma, the history teacher. They had to write an essay for class the next day, and Sakura was stuck.

Sasuke was lying on his bed, reading some novel or other. He looked up as he heard his roommate's cry of disgust.

"Hnn. There ARE people reading here, you know."

"Well, sorry for disturbing you, Mr. Royalty," Sakumo snapped at him. Really, this kid acted a LOT like a girl sometimes. "I'll just be frustrated in silence, won't I?"

Sasuke propped his novel on his chest. "What are you working on?"

"This stupid History essay."

"Hnn. It's easy. All you have to do is dicuss Napoleon's character and conquests. Half of it was in his mental complex, anyway."

Sasuke returned to his novel. Sakumo froze.

"Say that again?"

"Half of Napoleon's drive was in his mental complex," Sasuke repeated. "He was shorter than most people, so to make up for it, he was always on the lookout for power. That's how he ended up Supreme Consul for life over France."

Sakumo was frantically scribbling as Sasuke talked. He laid down his pencil with a clatter.

"That was the part I was missing. Sasuke, you're a genius."

"Hnn."

Sasuke returned to his novel, but laid it down again after a moment.

"How far along are you?"

"What?" Sakumo was busy looking up something in the reference section of the history book. Sasuke sighed. He hated repeating himself.

"How far along are you in that essay?"

"I've just got two more paragraphs and a conclusion to go to make Asuma's requirements," Sakumo said, scribbling on his paper again. Sasuke sat up and dug through his own school bag, finally pulling out a few pieces of paper. He threw them so that they landed over Sakumo's own essay.

"There. That's my essay," Sasuke grunted. "Read that and copy the bits you don't have."

Sakumo stared at him.

"What?" Sasuke asked.

"Why…why are you doing this?" Sakumo stammered. "You didn't have to…"

"Hnn, dobe. I want to see Fire win as much as you do, probably more," Sasuke said, returning to his novel. "Now hurry up. Basketball's in ten minutes."

Sakumo read and scribbled, reading Sasuke's essay and copying it in his own words. Finally, at quarter to 8, he threw down his pencil.

"Finished," he said proudly. Sasuke got up and put his essay away. He was already dressed in his casual clothes. Leaving Sakumo to change into his basketball stuff, Sasuke left the dorm and headed for the courts.

**Basketball Courts**

"How are we splitting up?" Naruto asked, looking around the gathered Fire sophomores. Shino pointed.

"Neji and Sasuke are team captains. We'll count off."

Neji and Sasuke took up separate sides. Sakura lined up with the rest of the sophomores, thrilled to finally be playing her favorite sport.

Neji and Sasuke flipped a coin to see who chose first. Sasuke lost. Neji looked out over the choices.

"Sakumo!"

Sakura couldn't believe it. She had been the first pick! Sasuke glared at her as she trotted past and stood behind Neji.

"Naruto!"

The blonde went to stand behind Sasuke.

"Kiba!"

"Shino!"

"Shikamaru!"

"Chouji!"

Neji and Sasuke looked at each other. Sakura added up. There were four to a side.

"We'll have two forwards, a center, and a guard," Neji said, splitting them up. "Kiba and I'll be the posts. Kiba, you're low post. I'm high. Shikamaru, you're center/off guard." Neji turned to Sakura. "Sakumo, you're point guard."

"Good luck!" Kiba said. "You'll have a heck of a time getting past Sasuke."

Sakura grinned wolfishly. "He won't even see the ball!"

"That's the ticket!" Neji grinned.

The jump ball was thrown. Shikamaru won it and tapped it to Sakura. She spun around and began dribbling to the net. But Sasuke was quick- he had been next to her in the jump, and he cut her off before she got very far. Sakura doubled back, giving her teammates time to set up.

Shikamaru was across the 3-point line from Sakura, Neji and Kiba posting up. Sakura nodded and Neji cut across the lane, picking Kiba so that he could cut free. Sakura did not pick up her dribble, waiting for Kiba to get open…

And Sasuke swiped the ball before she even noticed it. It was a fast break that no one could catch. Sasuke flew down to the other end and did a beautiful lay-up to score his team two points. Neji's team huddled.

"Sakumo, you idiot!" Neji hissed. "Sasuke's good, you've got to keep moving around! Don't let that happen again!"

"I won't," Sakura said, getting angry. As they lined up for the second jump ball, Sasuke smirked at her.

"Nice try, rookie," he said, and nudged her sideways. Sakura regained her balance just as the ball was tipped. Shino won this time: he tapped it to Naruto, who was on the opposite end of the circle. Sakura moved with Sasuke, in time, staying between him and the net.

Naruto passed to the point guard and hustled down the court to where the rest of Sasuke's team was posting up. Sasuke dribbled effortlessly, keeping his body between Sakura and the ball. She was no fool- she kept on her toes, watching the ball, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

It came. Sasuke didn't have an opening anywhere, so he pulled up and leapt for a jump shot. Sakura leapt in time with him. Just as the ball left his fingertips, she swatted it away.

This time, it was Sasuke's turn to watch in awe as Sakura landed, chasing the ball which she had hit towards half-court. She picked it up, dribbled swiftly to her own goal, and shot a perfect lay-up. Two points for Neji. As both teams huddled again, Sakura pointed at Sasuke. He glared.

"Alright, Sakumo, that's what I'm looking for!" Neji cheered as they huddled. "Way to go! This time, we kick their butts!"

It was a tough game: Sakura and Sasuke trading off excellent shots, ball-work, and defense. Sakura managed to keep Sasuke well outside the 3-point line for most of the game, but Sasuke managed to block all of Sakura's shots. No matter what she tried: dodges, rolls, fakes, passes, Sasuke managed to stop every shot she made. In the end, the score was tied: 23 all.

"Well done, guys!" Naruto said, giving everyone a high five. "Good game! Sakumo, you were AWESOME!"

Sakura was bashful under the praise of the guys.

"Hey, Sasuke, I seriously think there's a challenge to your position this year!" Kiba said.

Sasuke didn't say so out loud, but he privately agreed. Just who WAS Sakumo Hayaro?

**OK, Day 4 of Alley Oop is officially OVER! Thankyouthankyouthankyou TO ALL who reviewed this so fast! I am tempted to start setting review quotas, but I'm not going to…yet. :P Sooo…**


	5. Day 5: Basketball Tryouts!

_**Recap from Day 4**__: Sakura was stunned by Sasuke's confession in the game of Truth or Dare. Naruto showed Sasuke a picture of Sakura out of her boy's disguise to Sasuke. Sasuke declared that he would kiss the real Sakura if he met her, something which makes our heroine's heart skip a beat. And it's only the fourth day of school!_

Sasuke, meanwhile, is having issues of his own about his roommate. He just found two pink hairs in the bathroom...how on earth could they have gotten into an all-boys school? And then there's the issue of basketball tryouts on Friday - could his position on the team be threatened by this talented newbie?

The rest of the gang discovered that Sakura's dad was dead, but none of them know that Sakumo's Hayaro's REAL father was Saki Haruno, the famous point guard. If that secret gets out, "Sakumo"'s true identity may be discovered, and the boys will find out that "Sakumo" is a girl.

After school, the boys played a game of pick-up basketball, four on four. Sasuke and Sakura were point guards, and almost equally matched. Sasuke looks the part of a point guard, strong, handsome, talented. Sakura, or 'Sakumo', is scrawny and underdeveloped for a guy, but he/she plays on a level equal to Sasuke's. His/her talent has the whole team wondering...

Who exactly is Hayaro Sakumo?  


**Day 5: Tryouts!  
**  
Sakura had her duffel bag with her basketball change and shoes slung over her shoulder. She was going to the huge Firestone gym: a place she had never been before. She found herself in a hallway that led to the court, so she set about looking for the girls' locker rooms.

There were none.

_Of course, you idiot,_ Sakura chastised herself, _this is an all-boys' school!_

Then the catch of it hit her- she was going to have to change in a locker room full of guys!

"Oh, no…"

Sakura nipped into a small janitor's closet and quickly changed her clothes. She would arrive in the locker room prepared and already changed. All she'd have to do would be to put on her sneakers.

Sakura pushed open the door to the locker room and was greeted by the smell of old socks, sweat, and aftershave. Guys in various states of half-dress were wandering around the benches and green-painted lockers, conversing. Suppressing a natural blush, Sakura found her locker, opened it, and put her duffel bag inside. She pulled out her basketball shoes and began lacing them up.

"Hey, Sakumo, you changed FAST." 

Sakura whirled around to see Naruto grinning at her, lacing up his own shoes. She sighed in relief.

"Yeah, I have to at my house. It's so small that if I don't do it fast, my sister will barge in on me."

Naruto laughed. "Come on, let's get on the court!"

There were a LOT of guys on the court: dribbling, passing, shooting. Sakura and Naruto grabbed a ball and warmed up by passing. Sakura noticed Sasuke sitting on the bleachers, writing something on a clipboard.

"Sasuke's going to be helping in the draft of the team this year," Naruto yelled over all the noise. "The Coach should be here any minute."

_PHWEEEEEEEET_! 

A whistle sounded. Sakura looked around for the coach, but he wasn't there. Instead, Sasuke was sounding a whistle and gathering all the hopefuls together.

"Alright, guys!" Sasuke said, looking out over the assembled guys. "Coach hasn't shown up yet, but we're gonna get started anyway. Count off into three groups!"

Sakura found herself in the same group as Shikamaru and Naruto. They were Twos.

"Ones, on the line!" Sasuke shouted. Everyone groaned, including Sakura. Suicides were killer.

When Sasuke blew his whistle, the Ones ran from the end line to the free throw line extended, and back to the end line. Then they ran to half-court and back. Then to the other free throw line extended and back. Then to the far end line and back. Suicides were gruesome.

"Twos up!"

Phweet!

Sakura took off with everything she had. On the last stretch, the one from end line to end line, she was almost three-quarters of the way ahead of the rest of the guys.

"Dude, Sakumo, slow down," Naruto panted as he finished. "We've got a lot of these to go."

There were a lot of them. Sasuke made them run again…and again…and again. Even Sakura was feeling exhausted after her seventh time, and some of the weaker guys had even puked.

"Gosh, how long is Sasuke gonna run us?" Shikamaru groaned. Just then, the Coach appeared.

"Well, otoutou, seems you've been running them hard," a voice said. "You could take over from me."

"Shut up, Itachi," Sasuke said shortly as he leapt off the bleachers. Sakura nearly gasped.

The Coach was an older version of Sasuke, complete with longer hair and the exact same eyes.

_Shannaro! He's GORGEOUS, too!_ Inner Sakura squealed.

_That's just perverted,_ Sakura told herself. Itachi scanned the boys who were in various states of collapse.

"Good afternoon," he said. "My name is Uchiha Itachi, and I am going to be your coach." His eyes glinted evilly. "Sasuke may have run you down into the ground, but I will run you off the face of the earth! Basketball is a men's game! Get up!"

Sakura was merely bent over, she straightened, panting hard. Those who had been sitting were not so lucky. There were many complaints as stiches and cramps took their toll.

Sasuke joined the group, looking very put out about something. Itachi looked at his clipboard.

"Let's see…when I call your name, say 'here'. Aburame Shino!"

"Here!"

"Ayio Kiso!"

There were a lot of people at the tryouts. Finally, Itachi reached the 'H's.

"Hayaro, Sakumo!"

"Here!" Sakura called. Itachi shot her a glance before continuing.

"Hyuuga, Neji!"

"Here!"

It took a while to reach the end, but Itachi made it.

"Uchiha Sasuke!"

"Hnn."

"Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Here, dattebayo!"

"Now," said Itachi, tearing off that sheet of paper, "of the names I just read, only fifteen are getting onto this team. Plenty of you will go home, I assure you. Now let's go!"

The three-hour-long tryouts were some of the most grueling Sakura had ever endured. She ran several miles and demonstrated all her skill with a ball. Finally, at the last station, she was dribbling a ball with her eyes blindfolded while Itachi kept track of how long she went without losing the ball. Finally, Sakura dribbled the ball onto her toe and it rolled away. Itachi clicked his stopwatch critically.

"Hmm…how old are you, Hayaro?"

"F…fifteen," Sakura stammered. Itachi's eyebrow went up.

"Did you know that most college players can't keep the ball going blindfolded for as long as you did?"

"N…No," Sakura stammered. "Is that good?"

Itachi looked at her, his gaze unreadable.

"You held that dribble for almost twenty minutes. The only people who can do that are the pros. In fact, the record is held by one Haruno Saki: forty minutes. Ever heard of him?"

Sakura nodded, allowing her inner to smirk. Itachi waved his hand.

"Go on, you're dismissed. Next!"

Sakura gathered her things from the locker room as fast as she could, stopping to tuck a ball inside her duffel bag. She allowed herself a moment's satisfaction with what she assumed was Itachi's praise and headed back to her dorm room. 

**Sasuke and Sakumo's Dorm  
**  
Sasuke emerged into the hallway as the elevator doors opened, feeling exhausted. Even though he was completely fit, Itachi's tryouts had drained him of most of his energy. He got to Room 32 and began to put his key in the slot, but stopped. There was a noise coming from inside. A soft thumping, to be exact.

Sasuke pushed open the door to see Sakumo with a handkerchief tied around his eyes and a ball in his hands.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke demanded. The ball rolled away. Sakumo pushed up the blindfold and hit a button on his watch.

"Timing myself," he said, while panting. "I want to see how long I can dribble before I lose the ball."

"We did that in tryouts, you don't need to do it here," Sasuke said. "Knock it off. And put that ball back from wherever you nicked it."

Sakumo shrugged. "There's a million balls lying around. No one's going to notice."

Sasuke ignored his roommate and went to change into his nightclothes. When he emerged, Sakumo was already lying on his back in his bed, twirling the ball on his finger.

"What are we doing tomorrow?" he asked in his high-pitched voice. Sasuke frowned.

"What do you mean, 'we'? I'm sure not doing anything with you."

"Is there a bus for us to go home?"

"Hnn."

Sakumo tossed him the ball and sat up.

"Why do you always say that?"

"Say what?" Sasuke caught the ball out of reflex. He spun it in his hands.

" 'Hnn'. What's it even mean?"

"I dunno." Sasuke had never really thought about it before. He tossed the ball back to Sakumo and turned out the lamp. He could see that Sakumo was continuing to spin the ball on his finger, even though it was dark.

"You don't like Itachi very much, huh?" Sakumo said suddenly. Sasuke glared at him.

"What makes you say that?"

"You were both cold to each other," Sakumo pointed out. Sasuke turned over.

"Hnn. Just shut up, I want to sleep."

"Fine."

Sakura continued to twirl her ball in silence. Then another question came to mind.

"Where do you live?"

Sasuke flipped over and propped his head on his hand.

"Will you just shut up?"

"No."

"Hnn. Fine. I live in uptown Konoha."

"In a big mansion? With lots of servants?"

Sasuke was amazed at the sheer nerve of this kid.

"Why the heck do you wanna know?"

"Just do," Sakumo shrugged.

"Hnn. Well, my dad's really rich, so we live in a nice house, I suppose."

"And you come here to get away from your family, right?" Sakumo's voice came back out of the darkness. "You don't like Itachi or the rest of them, right?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Hnn. I have to say, Sakumo, you have a keen sense of truth."

"So I'm right?" Sakumo said, now practicing shooting his ball straight up with a perfect wrist snap.

"Sort of. I come here to get out from under Itachi's shadow, but he still manages to follow me." Sasuke put his hands under his head and looked up at the ceiling. "Just this year he got the coaching position. I hate it, but he's always lorded it over me."

"So is that why you lord it over others?" Sakumo asked. Sasuke growled.

"Shut up, Hayaro. It's late, and I want to sleep."

"Oh, Sasuke?"

"Hnn?"

"'Night."

"Hnn." 

**Weekend  
**  
"O my GOOOOOOOOOOOSH!" Ino screamed. "YOU'RE LIVING WITH A BUNCH OF GUYS?!?!?!?"

Sakura nodded, unable to disguise the grin that was spreading across her face. It was the weekend, and she was finally able to drop her disguise and wear normal clothes that went well with her pink hair. She felt like looking different and girly for once.

"I…do…not…BELIEVE IT!" screamed Ino. "You're so LUCKY! Going to Firestone with a whole bunch of cute GUYS! Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh…"

"Do you know any of the guys?" Tenten asked interestedly. Sakura shook her head.

"Thankfully, I'd never met any of them before Monday. Now, I know a whole bunch of them. I made the mistake of showing them our picture." She wrinkled her nose. "They think that I have a twin sister."

"Well, it would look really odd for a guy to have pink hair," Hinata said reasonably. "Your disguise is good, you know. Either that, or guys are so stupid that they don't pay any attention to your looks."

Sakura shuddered. "I don't care. As long as no one figures out who I am."

"So are you on the Firestone basketball team?" Tenten asked, bouncing up and down on Sakura's bed. She shrugged.

"I dunno, I've got to wait until the results are posted, probably on Monday."

"Omigosh," Ino said. "Look, you have to get me their email addresses, 'K?"

"No can do, Ino," Sakura said. "They're already suspicious because of that picture."

"Well, I hope you do well, and keep your cover," Hinata said, patting her friend on the back. "Just be careful, OK?"

"I'll be fine," Sakura reassured her. "No one's caught on to me just yet, and I don't think anyone will."

**more to come! Will Sakura make the Firestone High basketball team? If so, will she survive training camp? And if not, how will she cope with the failure? And will a certain's roommate's cunning prove sharp enough to see through the glasses and wig to the REAL Sakura beneath? Will her real lineage be discovered? And what SHALL we make of Sasuke's confession in Truth or Dare? Basketball season this year is a LITLLE more complicated...**

Oh, and may I say, I HAVE posted this story on another site online. This is just to guard against people who think I may have stolen it. _Alley Oop_ is mine all the way! cheers


	6. Week 2 Opens Up!

_**Recap from Day 5 at Firestone:**_ _Sakura, Sasuke, and the rest of the gang went through grueling tryouts. First, Sasuke runs the whole team almost into the ground. Then the new coach shows up - what a surprise! No one expect Sasuke's older brother Itachi to take up the position. But even though younger brother is captain and older brother is coach, there is still some coldness between them, some hidden rivalry._

Sakura passes Itachi's last test with flying colors, holding a dribble while blindfolded for twenty minutes. Itachi tells her that that is a feat worthy of the pros, and that the famous basketball player Haruno Saki holds the record: forty minutes. Sakura is proud to be compared to her father, even in disguise.

Over the weekend, Sakura met with her friends Ino, Hinata, and Tenten, who also play basketball. They know about her disguise and promise to stay out of her way so that no suspicions are roused.

Now, Sakura must return to Firestone High for her second week. Will her disguise hold up?

_**WEEK TWO OPENS UP!!**_

** Firestone High Bus **

"Hey, Sakumo! How was your weekend?" Naruto asked as Sakura took a seat beside him. She shoved her bulging suitcase into the overhead rack and sighed.

"Would you believe it? I didn't have a single minute to play basketball!"

"Aw, too bad," Naruto consoled. "Hey, sometimes the guys meet down at that cement court near Fujiwara's Restaurant, ever been down there?"

"Once in a while," Sakura said, privately hiding her worries. Fujiwara's was near a bad place in town, Sakura would never dream of going there alone as a girl. Going as an effeminate guy would be no better.

"If you can make it, we're playing three Saturdays from now at 6."

"Three Saturdays?" Sakura was confused. Naruto sighed.

"Yeah, Sakumo. Forget about tryouts already?"

"Oh…right, basketball training camp," Sakura said, blushing through her blunder. "Wonder if we made the team?"

"I was on the team last year," Naruto said, thumbing his chest. "I was one of the main starters!"

"Really?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, he was the prime pick of the benchwarmers," Shikamaru said, slouching up. "Hey, Sakumo, Naruto."

Naruto glared at Shikamaru. "Thanks for blowing my cover."

"No problem," Shikamaru said, sitting across the aisle from Naruto and Sakura. "How was your weekend, Naruto?" 

"Man, it was awful, dattebayo!" Naruto wailed. "I wandered all over Konoha and couldn't find a single one of those cute girls from Sakumo's picture!" He winked at Sakura. "Maybe next free weekend we have you can introduce me, eh?"

Sakura's heart pounded in her shallow chest. Naruto had been LOOKING for her. This was NOT good, not good at all.

"Um, I dunno," she said swiftly, trying to hide the fact that her heart was about to come out of her throat. "They've all already got boyfriends, they might not like that."

"I thought you said they were single!" Naruto said, looking confused. Sakura gulped.

"I did?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "You implied it when you showed us their picture."

"I did?" Sakura said shakily. "I don't remember…"

"Hey, Sasuke-teme!" Naruto said, cutting off his friend. "Did you watch the Fire Ninja play on Saturday?"

Sakura shot him a grateful glance. She could never remember being so thankful for Sasuke before. Sasuke lifted an eyebrow and responded to Naruto.

"Heh, duh, dobe."

Then the effect of Naruto's words sank in for Sakura.

"Wait a minute – there was a Fire Ninja game this weekend?"

"Duh, Sakumo, where on earth have you been?" Naruto said, looking at her in a puzzled way. "The Fire Ninja opened their season on Saturday."

Sakura's heart sank. She'd missed the opening night of her dad's old team…

"Hey, Sakumo, you OK?" Shikamaru asked, frowning. Sakura shook her head.

"Sorry…I'm fine." She looked up at Naruto. "Who was the point guard?"

"Um…" Naruto was drawing a blank.

"Genma Shiranui, played for Kishimoto University from 2002-2006, 6'5", shooting average 52, right-handed, and he has a beautiful fadeaway jump shot from the left corner of the 3-point line," Sasuke rapped off. He looked at Sakura. "Why?"

"Just wondering…"

"Of course, he's nothing compared to that point guard the Fire Ninja had back in '93," Shikamaru mused. "What was his name?"

"Haruno Saki," Sasuke and Sakura said at the exact same time. They stared at each other in confusion.

"Yeah, he was good, wasn't he?" Shikamaru continued, ignoring his classmates. "What, 6'1", a 63 scoring average, and he was left-handed. Didn't the joke run that he could shoot his free throws from the half-court line and make it?"

"More than that," Sasuke said. "They said that he could probably compete in an Olympic 100-meter dash and win, that's how fast he was."

"And then he had to retire," Shikamaru said sadly, "and he died a few years later of lung cancer."

"Aww, that's awful," Naruto said. "What happened to his family?"

Sakura decided it was time to steer the conversation clear of these dangerous waters.

"So when are the tryout results posted?" she asked, trying to sound bored with their previous conversation.

"I think they'll be on the main board when we get there!" Naruto said, suddenly excited. "Do you think we got on, Shikamaru?"

"It's a drag, going to training camp," Shikamaru groaned. "I mean, I love basketball, but it's troublesome to go through the effort it takes to play it."

"It wouldn't be fun if it weren't for the effort!" Naruto protested.

Sasuke made to move on, but not before looking Sakumo over closely. His roommate had seemed interested in Haruno Saki, but when it came to his death and his family, he changed the topic. Indeed, even right now, Sakumo was looking almost guilty in his seat. Sasuke shrugged and headed for the back of the bus, where there were plenty of empty seats. 

**Main Lobby of Firestone High**

"LOOK! THERE IT IS, DATTEBAYO!" Naruto screamed as they came into the lobby, dragging their suitcases behind them. Shikamaru blew a breath.

"How troublesome to get there," he said, examining the crowd that had pooled in front of the list. "I'm going up to my dorm."

Naruto and Sakura pushed their way up to the board, trying to get close enough to read it. There was a notice pinned above the list that said that players were listed in the order that they were "drafted". In other words, the best players were at the top, those that had barely squeaked by were on the bottom. The list read thus:

1. Uchiha Sasuke  
2. Hayaro Sakumo  
3. Hyuuga Neji  
4. Uzumaki Naruto  
5. Inuzuka Kiba  
6. Aburame Shino  
7. Nara Shikamaru

The rest of the fifteen players were seniors and juniors from other buildings that Sakura didn't know. But the top SEVEN picks were all Fire Building sophomores! And there…

"Oh my gosh, dattebayo!" Naruto squealed, grabbing Sakura's shoulder. "You came in SECOND!!"

Sakura's mouth almost fell open. SHE had been the second draft?! The second choice?

"HEY, TEME!" Naruto bellowed over the crowd at Sasuke, who was just entering. "YOU TOOK FIRST- BUT GUESS WHO TOOK SECOND?!?!"

"Hnn. Let me guess," Sasuke said in a bored voice. But Naruto didn't let him.

"SAKUMO!" he yelled, pushing Sakumo out of the crowd at Sasuke, following shortly. Sakura took one look at Sasuke and immediately looked away. Sasuke's eyes were blazing, whether with anger, frustration, or disbelief, she didn't know. It was clear he hadn't expected Sakumo to take the second draft. Without a word, he stormed away.

"What was THAT all about, dattebayo?" Naruto asked, watching the retreating back of his black-haired friend.

"He feels THREATENED! You've got him cornered, Sakumo!"

Sakura turned to see Kiba and Shino coming up. Kiba was grinning broadly, Shino just looking like…Shino.

"For YEARS, he lorded it over us, just because he's better with a basketball," Kiba continued, smirking. "And now YOU'VE shown up, and you're not even half his size!"

"That's not true, Kiba," Naruto said in Sakura's defense. "Sakumo's about to Sasuke's shoulder, but we all know that you don't need that much height in a guard. Sasuke's a bit tall for one."

"Not so – that Genma Shiranui is 6'5", and Sasuke's what? Barely six feet?" Kiba asked Shino. Shino shrugged.

"Do I look like I'd know?"

"Well, Haruno Saki was 6'1" – and he was the greatest point guard the Fire Ninja ever had. But why are we worrying about Uchiha? Come on – let's get up to Fire and celebrate! The first seven were all sophomores from Fire!" Kiba yelled, and the foursome set off for their dorm. 

**Sasuke and Sakumo's Dorm  
**  
Sakura knocked and pushed open the door to room 32. Sasuke was already unpacked and lying on his bed, reading the same novel from before. There was moment's awkward silence as they exchanged glances. Then Sakura heaved her suitcase onto her bed and began to unpack her clothes for the next two weeks (she's not going home, remember? Training camp!). Trying to break the heavy silence, she snuck a look at Sasuke's novel.

"Whatcha readin'?"

Sasuke checked the cover.

" _King of Sand_".

" _King of Sand_?!?!" Sakura was shocked. "Isn't that a ROMANCE NOVEL?!?!"

Sasuke shrugged. "It's not too bad. There's a lot of great action sequences in it. Besides, you can always skip the fluff parts." He resumed reading. "I'm only reading it 'cause the author came out with a sequel to it called _King of Fire_. It's much shorter, but everyone dies a gruesome death, and it's not nearly as romantic. That's the one I want to read, so I'm reading this for background."

Sakura made a face. Sasuke was getting weirder every time she found out more about him. Who on earth would read a romance novel in order to read the gruesome sequel? 

"What's it about?" she asked, pushing some socks into one of her drawers. Sasuke looked up and growled.

"That's what I'm trying to find out. Now shut up!"

Sakura shut up.

Finally, Sasuke shut his book and sighed.

"They'll be calling first bell soon."

"Don't we get the morning off?" Sakura was confused. The first day, they'd spent all morning unpacking. Sasuke stared at her oddly.

"What are you talking about? We only miss the first period."

Sakura jumped. "Oh, right!" She jammed a few textbooks into her bag and scrambled for the door, pocketing her room key as she went. Sasuke followed at a much more leisurely pace. 

** Literature **

"Alright, class," the teacher, Ebisu, said, "we're going to resume reading where we left off. Open your books to page 20 and…well, since it's a stage play, we should act it out. Let's see… Mr. Uchiha!"

Sasuke jumped. Ebisu motioned.

"Come on up. Since you've been getting such good grades, I'll give you the privilege of being our main character: Junko!" Ebisu scanned the room. "And let's see…Mr. Hayaro, why don't you come up, too."

Sakura got out of her seat and went to the front of the classroom. Ebisu clapped her on the shoulder.

"Since you've got the best grades next to Sasuke's, you can play Ami!"

The rest of the class sniggered. The play Ebisu was making them read was like "beginner's porn," for lack of a better description. There were some very strange and awkward scenes in the story. But then again, Ebisu was a closet pervert.

"Ami, you happen to be the most seductive woman I've ever met," Sasuke said carelessly, trying to get the lines out as fast as possible without any emotion.

"And you are the…the…" Sakura couldn't go on. She blushed furiously under the laughter of the class. "…sexiesthunkIhaveyettosee," she babbled, turning red to the roots of her hair. Kiba almost fell out of his seat laughing.

"Hey, Junko, what's the matter?" one of the Yondaime sophomores called. "Having a little trouble talking to your sexy seductive chick?"

Sasuke threw the playbook down, turning red himself. Glaring at Sakura, he stormed back to his seat just as the bell rang. 

**Lunch**

"Hey, Chouji, move over! What are you doing?" Kiba yelled as he came up to the table where the Fire sophomores were sitting. "You can't separate Junko and his one true love, Ami! The sexy hunk and seduct-"

"SHUT UP!" Sasuke roared. Sakura glared while turning pink. They had purposefully stuck Chouji between them so that no one would get any strange ideas. But even so, all morning, they had been teased by random people in the hallways. Almost everyone in the high school knew about Ebisu's sophomore class.

"Kiba, knock it off. I don't think they like the implications of being gay," Shino said, taking a bite of his beef. Kiba grinned, showing his fang-like teeth.

"It's not funny," Sakura snarled, glaring a hole through the roast beef she had viciously stuck onto her fork. "People shouldn't laugh."

"It'll die down eventually, Sakumo," Naruto said consolingly. He looked sympathetically at her. "Meanwhile, you'll have to endure the taunts of the people who know you share a dor-"

"I SAID SHUT UP, NARUTO!" Sasuke growled. He looked so murderous that Naruto quailed in front of him.

"So when's the first basketball practice?" Neji asked, trying to get everyone's mind off the disturbing Literature class. Sasuke continued glaring at Naruto.

"Starts the third week of school, Monday to Friday, from 4 to 6 every night."

"So this is our last week of free time!" Neji said light-heartedly, more so than he felt. "When's the first game?"

"Firestone vs. Leaf High, fourth week of school, Friday, home."

Sasuke spat the information as if it tasted foul in his mouth.

"Must be nice being the Coach's brother," Naruto said absently, stirring his creamed corn with his fork. "You never have to worry about schedules or dates…"

Sasuke lunged across the table and grabbed the front of Naruto's shirt, dragging him through his tray of food.

"Say one more thing about Itachi," he hissed, "and you're DEAD!"

Naruto gagged, Sasuke's hand having also grabbed the bottom half of his tie. He was slowly choking.

"Sasuke, knock it off!" Sakura cried, leaning around Chouji to grab Sasuke's arm. He shook her off.

"Stay out of this," he snarled. Sakura looked hurt, but her eyes were hard.

"No, I won't!" she insisted. "Naruto's my friend, and you're hurting him! What did he do? He just made a remark!! He didn't know it was insulting!"

With a grunt, Sasuke released the blonde. Naruto fell back into his seat coughing, gasping, and massaging his throat. The front of his navy-blue button-up shirt was covered in creamed corn. It clashed horribly with his golden tie.

"And YOU," Sasuke said, poking his finger at Sakura, "just stay out of my way, out of my face, and out of my game! Or I will personally make sure that you regret it."

He stormed away without a backward glance.

"What's wrong with him?!" Sakura fumed. Kiba crossed his arms and nodded knowingly.

"Like I said, Sakumo, you're threatening him. First you come in second draft on the team, then you have the second best grades in the class! No wonder he's mad."

_But if he feels threatened because of my grades, why did he offer to help me on my History essay?_ Sakura wondered. 

**Flashback  
**  
"Hnn, dobe. I want to see Fire win as much as you do, probably more."

**End Flashback**

_Somehow, I think it's more than that._

Sakura didn't have time to dwell on Sasuke's coldness for much longer. The bell rang at just that moment. Naruto sighed and wiped his front with a paper napkin, only smearing the creamed corn in more.

"Guess we gotta go to class," he sighed. 

**Biology**

"Thissss ssssemesssster we will be doing a dissection," Orochimaru hissed, his long pale fingers sliding down the scales of the snake that was coiled around him. "I will ssssplit you into pairssss, and you will work together. Half of you will draw a ssssslip of paper from thissss jar, and you will have your partner." He looked over the attendance list.

"Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Neji, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sssasssuke, Sssohma Raio, Hatake Hirosssshi, and Honda Yosssshiro, come forward to draw your partnersss," Orochimaru intoned. The selected students stood and went forward. Fingers dipped and flashed in the jar, pulling out slips.

"When you know who your partner isss," Orochimaru said, "move your desssskss together ssso you may begin."

Sakura waited for someone to come and move their desk in front of hers so they could work together. She was excited: dissections were cool. She watched as Neji and a classmate she didn't know moved their desks together, pulled on the gloves, and began to cut open their specimen. Naruto looked dejected as he moved his desk against Rock Lee's. Lee looked extremely excited; indeed, in the few seconds Sakura watched, he spilled all their clean tools on the floor. Shino and Kiba were partnered together. That left only one person Sakura knew who did not yet have a partner. Sasuke unfolded his slip and stared at the name for a few moments. Then he scanned the room, looking for someone. His eyes flitted over Sakura as fast as they could. Then, as Sakura watched, Sasuke returned to his desk and grabbed his bag. With all his stuff in his arms, Sasuke wound his way through the desks and stopped right before Sakura. His onyx-black eyes held no emotion whatsoever, except for maybe annoyance.

"Are we partners?" Sakura asked, holding her breath. In response, Sasuke slung his stuff onto the floor underneath his chair and sat down in the desk that faced Sakura's.

"Hnn, dobe. What did you think?" 

** Dinner **

"Well, I'm glad THAT's over," Sakura said as she down to eat, noting that this was becoming a common mealtime sentiment. Biology had been a double period, and History had been the last thing on their list. Even in only 50 minutes, Asuma had still managed to assign them a huge paper that was due at the end of the week.

"Five PAGES!" Naruto groaned as he slid into the seat next to her. "Back-and-front! Even though it's double spaced, it's still ridiculously long!" 

Shikamaru was eating ravenously for once. "It's too troublesome, having to do all this work," he frowned. "AND we'll have basketball practice from 4 to 6 starting next week, so when on earth are we supposed to do our homework?"

"What's the topic of the essay again, Sakumo?" Naruto asked, pulling out his PalmPilot. Sakura sighed.

"You're supposed to write a 5-page essay on 'the effects of the unification of the church and state, including why the disunification of religion and government is popularly considered more desirable today'," she quoted. Everyone stared.

"What?" Sakura asked.

"Dude, you memorized that?" Kiba asked, whistling softly. "After hearing Asuma say it only once?"

"I wrote it down," Sakura protested. The guys looked thunderstruck.

"You only heard it once and got it down word for word?" Shino asked.

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?" Sakura asked. "It's not like I'm a stenographer or anything."

"That's just it," Shikamaru said, leaning in. "The only person who's ever been able to do that is…Sasuke."

"He's a stenographer?" Sakura asked, looking awestruck. Kiba shrugged.

"We think he is, he's really fast. If you say something only once he can quote it back word for word. We tried to fool him once, reading a huge paragraph out of book and making him write it down. He didn't make a single mistake."

"You're pulling my leg," Sakura said. Naruto shook his head.

"It was amazing. He was writing normal speed and everything, too."

"Sasuke's just…" 

"A genius?" Sakura said scathingly. The boys nodded. She pushed back her chair and stood up.

"Well, pardon me for not feeling the need to worship the genius that is my roommate anymore, but I have homework to do," she said. "Basketball tonight?"

"I can't do it, man," Shikamaru said. "My mom's been on my case for not emailing her, I've got to do that tonight. It'll take me hours to think of anything to say."

"Just tell her about our Ami and Junko soap opera here," Kiba said jokingly, until he saw the look on Sakura's face. "Ahh, never mind."

"Hinata sent me a letter that I need to reply to," Neji said, standing up. "And then there's that dissection report to write up."

"Geez, for a creepy snake guy, Orochimaru sure does give a lot of work," Naruto grumbled. "I'll come up later."

"I'll go with you, Sakumo," Neji said, putting his tray away. Together, Sakura and Neji made their way out of the cafeteria and across the grounds to the Fire building. Neither said anything until they were in the elevator. Then Neji turned to Sakura.

"Sasuke's not been giving you trouble, has he?"

"Huh?" Sakura was confused. For one heartstopping moment, she thought Hinata had told Neji about her secret. But no, Hinata had promised to faithfully keep it. Neji proved this point by following up his question.

"I mean, he hasn't…look, he isn't pressuring you to leave?"

"N…no," Sakura stammered. "Should he be?"

"No," Neji said thoughtfully, "it's just that every other roommate that he's had he tends to make feel miserable. You know, so they'll leave. You're the first…"

"The first what?"

"The first one he hasn't put pressure on to leave," Neji said. "To be honest, we're all sick of his stuck-up ways. If he ever bugs you, just tell one of the guys. We'll straighten him out."

"Thanks, but I think I can take care of myself," Sakura said as they stepped out of the elevator and stopped in front of room 32. Neji was in room 31, right across the hall. "After all, I did come in second on the team drafts."

She winked at him and opened the door.

Sasuke was in the bathroom, finishing changing into his casual clothes. He heard the door open and someone saying, "After all, I did come in second on the team drafts." Sasuke ground his teeth. It was that Sakumo. And Sakumo was really starting to annoy him.

First, Sakumo was just too…girly. He was small and scrawny, with geek glasses and a wild mop of hair. And yet he could do something that not even the college players could do with a basketball! How was that possible?

And then there was the issue of the pink hairs. And the '93 Fire Ninja. And Sakumo's family. Sasuke gripped the edge of the counter so hard that his knuckles turned white and looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing khaki shorts and a thick navy blue hoodie with 'Fire Ninja' printed in bright orange letters on it. His raven-hued hair was as strange as always, still insisting that it stick up in the back and fall in soft wings on either side of his handsome face. He growled as his reflection faded and Itachi's voice seemed to ring in the room.

_'Foolish little brother…thinking you could get away from me…'_

"SHUT UP!"

SMASH!

"Sasuke!?!"

The bathroom door was flung open. Sakumo was standing in the doorway, glasses askew, staring in at the strange scene.

Sasuke had tried to punch the mirror. It had shattered, huge cracks radiating from the point of impact. His knuckles were slashed and bleeding, at least one shard of glass sticking out of his hand. Blood rolled down his still clenched fist as he gazed at it, as if he had just woken from a dream. Sasuke was in shock.

"Sasuke! Wake up!"

Sasuke felt something sting as Sakumo slapped his face. Hard. He came back to earth with a jolt.

"Ow…" he winced as Sakumo began to dig the largest shards of glass out of his fist.

"What were you thinking?" Sakumo asked in disbelief. He prodded the mirror, several more shards of glass fell onto the counter. "You smashed this with one blow?! What kind of mad strength do you have?!?!?!"

Sakumo guided Sasuke to his bed, then ran to the door and opened it.

"Hey! Neji!"

A door opened.

"What?"

"Come and take a look at this."

Neji stepped into the room and gasped.

"My gosh, Sakumo! What happened to him?"

"He tried punching a mirror," Sakumo said grimly. "I think the mirror got the better of him."

Neji took a look at Sasuke's hand. There were gouges on his palm where his nails had dug into his own skin. Neji winced.

"Ouch, that looks really bad." He saw how Sasuke wasn't responding. "Is he OK?!"

"I think he went into shock," Sakura confessed. "I don't know what to do with him."

Neji hoisted Sasuke up and draped one of his arms around his shoulder. He nodded at Sakura.

"Mind his injured hand. Let's get him to the hospital wing."

Sakura gingerly took Sasuke's broken and bleeding hand and laid it across her shoulder. A drop or two of his blood landed on her shirt, and she was grateful that it was dirty anyway.

"Come on, Sasuke," she groaned. "Pull some of your own weight!"

But Sasuke still wasn't responding. He staggered along between Neji and Sakura, walking slowly, but his eyes were dazed and unfocused.

As the elevator doors opened and they emerged into the lounge room on the ground floor of the Fire Building, Neji and Sakura ran into the rest of the gang heading up.

"WHAT THE- what happened to the teme!?" Naruto shrieked.

"We'll explain later," Neji said hastily. "Come on, Sakumo, we've got to get him some help."

With Kiba, Shikamaru, Naruto, Chouji, and Shino staring, Neji and Sakura made their way out the doors, Sasuke suspended between them. 

**Hospital Wing  
**  
"Just leave him in here," the nurse said, ushering them into a small room with a bed in it. "We'll take care of him from here."

"Will he be alright?" asked Neji anxiously. "We need him this weekend. Basketball, you know."

The nurse tisked as she examined his hand. "He shouldn't have been punching glass, then."

"I'm gonna go," Neji said hastily to Sakura. He hadn't forgotten about the receptionist who had been mad that he'd refused a date. "The guys are waiting."

"I'll stay a little longer," Sakura said. Neji nodded, shot a nervous glance at the nurse, and left with all possible speed. Sakura drew up a chair to Sasuke's bedside. The nurse cleaned his hand and bound it up in gauze. She shot a wary glance at Sakura in her boy's garb and left.

"Sasuke," Sakura whispered, "why did you punch the mirror?"

Sasuke had taken a painkiller to dull the pain of his hand. He murmured through the foggy waves of drug-induced sleep.

"Itachi was there," he whispered.

"Itachi?" Sakura asked. "Why would you hurt your own brother?" she said softly.

"He…wants something…wants it badly…and I'm the only one…who can stop him," Sasuke said. His brow furrowed, his eyelids flickered. Whatever he was seeing behind his eyelids was clearly disturbing him. The nurse came back in with a thermometer.

"What are you doing in here?" she demanded of Sakura. "This boy is hurt, he needs rest! What have you been doing to him?" she added, seeing how restless Sasuke was. Sakura leapt up.

"Nothing," she said hastily. "I'll just be going now."

"Hmm," the nurse said, picking up Sasuke's wrist. Sakura ducked out of the room and headed back for the Fire Building, Sasuke's words echoing through her mind.

_'He wants something, wants it badly. And I'm the only one who can stop him.'_

What did Sasuke mean? Was Itachi after something bad? Why did Sasuke have to stop him? And why could no one else? Could this possibly explain the coldness between the two brothers?

Just as Sasuke had his doubts about his roommate, so Sakura was beginning to have her own about the good-looking Uchiha who shared a dorm with her.

**DUNDUNDUN! Suspense! Hmm…is SASUKE hiding secrets? So why did Sasuke punch the mirror? And the big question: WHAT ON EARTH DOES HIS STATEMENT MEAN? Next on **_**Alley Oop!**_


	7. Day 7: In Denial

_**Recap: **Sasuke and Sakura had a rather disagreeable day. Sasuke discovers that Sakura (a.k.a. 'Sakumo', the new kid) has grades that are second to none, barring his. Sakumo has already proved his talent on the basketball court, also second to none, barring Sasuke. So Sasuke feels threatened by our heroine in disguise._

Meanwhile, Sakura is trying to fight her way out of a losing battle: Sasuke is slowly growing in her thoughts...and maybe affections. She's also got quite a challenge navigating through an all-boys school in her disguise.

In the bathroom in their dorm, Sasuke punched the mirror and ended up with slashed knuckles. Sakura took him to the hospital wing, where she heard him mumble something about his older brother, something she thinks is important. But what on earth could Sasuke mean?  


**Sasuke and Sakumo's Dorm**

It was late; the digital clock by the nightstand was telling Sakura that it was past midnight. But she was still wide awake, and this time, there was no light breathing from the bed opposite to drown out her thoughts.

Sasuke was still in the hospital wing, he had not returned before curfew at 10. So Sakura was trying to sleep alone in the dorm and failing. She was amazed at how fast she had forgotten how to sleep alone. She didn't know how else to explain it: she missed Sasuke's presence in the room.

The caretaker had come in about an hour ago, cleaned up the bloody shards of mirror and taken the rest of it off the wall. He had yet to put a new one up, so there was a rectangular patch on the wall where the mirror had been and the golden wallpaper hadn't faded.

Sasuke's words still bounced around in Sakura's head. She couldn't stop thinking about them.

_'He wants something, wants it badly. I'm the only one who can stop him.'  
_  
Sasuke had seemed to imply that whatever it was that Itachi wanted would be bad if he got it. Sakura couldn't make heads or tails of it. What could possibly be evil about her coach? He didn't seem like he was evil enough.

And then, if that wasn't enough, why was Sasuke the only person who could stop him?

Sakura's head spun with all the confusion. She closed her eyes and firmly tried to block out the mental questions, but they just kept coming. Finally, she couldn't take it any more. Climbing out of bed and slipping on a hoodie, she grabbed the ball she had stolen from the tryouts and pocketed her room key.

The elevators were turned off after curfew, so Sakura took the stairs, tiptoeing down the flights and hissing as her feet echoed in the staircase.

The basketball courts were damp with dew, and the night was somewhat chilly, but soon Sakura had shed her hoodie and was running around in only a light T-shirt and shorts.

"Haruno Sakura brings the ball down the court, faking a left pass, she swing around and…"

Sakura shot.

"SCORES! The Fire Ninja are up 27-14, thanks to the scoring power of their point guard, Haruno Sakura!"

It was late enough that the moon was the only source of light, reflecting off the cement surface. Sakura took off her glasses and, in a moment of daring, shed her wig. Her pink hair gleamed a soft shade of rose in the moonlight as she cut, dribbled, and shot.

Then her own daring overwhelmed her, and Sakura faded back. What was she thinking, taking off her disguise? Anyone could be out here, anything…and if they caught her, she'd be expelled for sure. Pulling on her wig and donning her glasses, Sakura sprinted for the dorm and let herself in using her key. Panting, she tiptoed up the stairs, praying that no one else was wide awake in the middle of the night. She reached Room 32 swiftly and let herself in, thankful that no one had caught her. Without even undressing, she collapsed on the unmade bed and fell into a deep sleep.

Sakura sat bolt upright as the alarm went off, her jade eyes wide in panic. The sun was just beginning to tinge the horizon, and she could hear the dormitory waking all around her. But that wasn't why she was in a cold sweat.

She had left her hoodie down on the basketball courts.

Sakura jumped as she heard a knock on the door. Her breath was ragged in her throat. Her fingers made sure her wig was in place as she unfolded her glasses and cleared her throat.

"Come in!"

The door opened to reveal Sasuke, his hand wrapped in a bandage, his arm in a sling for good measure. In his uninjured arm, he held the blue hoodie she'd forgotten last night. He held it out to her.

"I found this down on the courts. Has your initials in the tag: SH."

Sakura took it, her jade eyes shooting questions at him. Why had he been down there?

Sasuke held up a hand, seeing the confusion in her eyes. "Don't ask me questions, I won't ask you any."

Sakura gulped and nodded. She gathered her day's clothes and crept into the bathroom to shower and change. She came out to see Sasuke plugged into his MP3, his eyes closed in exhaustion. He looked up, saw that she was done, and headed into the bathroom. As Sakura straightened her gold tie and creased her navy blue uniform shirt, she heard Sasuke cursing in the bathroom as his injured hand proved a hindrance. Finally, the door opened and Sakura turned around. She blushed dramatically.

Sasuke had managed to pull on his pants one-handed, but he couldn't get the shirt over his head. He looked rather awkward.

"…need a hand?" Sakura volunteered as soon as she had recovered from the shock of seeing Sasuke without a shirt again.

"Yeah," Sasuke said, looking relieved. Sakura helped him tug the white undershirt on first. He smelled good – like crisp, fresh pine, Sakura thought. She shook her head.

_YOU'RE…A…**GUY**!_

As soon as their combined efforts and three hands had gotten the button-up shirt onto Sasuke's torso, it was up to Sakura to button him up, which she did while blushing, thankful for once for the mop-like wig that hid her face. Sasuke tucked his shirt in with one hand as Sakura stepped back, her job done. Sasuke grabbed his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and headed for the door. He opened it and paused, his hand on the doorknob.

"Sakumo?"

Sakura jumped. That was the first time he'd called her by her first name, even if it was a fake one. She tried to sound normal as she collected her scattered books.

"Yes?"

Sasuke had turned over his shoulder. Sakura risked a glance and found that her heart was pounding. He looked soooo good…

_Oh, alright, HOT!_ her inner squealed.

"Thanks for yesterday," Sasuke said. Then he did the strangest thing. He smiled at her over his shoulder!

_He SMILED at me! SHANNNAROOOOO! _Inner Sakura squealed.

_YES! He's MINE!_ Sakura thought. _Wait a moment…he thinks I'm a guy…_

NOOO! Inner Sakura wailed. _We're the girl he knows best, the girl he was closest to, and some other hooker's gonna get him!  
_  
"N…No problem," Sakura forced herself to stutter. Sasuke glanced into the bathroom.

"I see they haven't replaced the mirror yet."

"N…No…"

"Maybe the next one won't have Itachi in it, eh?"

And Sasuke was gone.

_Did…did he just CRACK A JOKE?!?!_ Inner Sakura gasped.

_Who cares? He was HOOOT! SHANNARO!_ Sakura replied.

_He SMILED at us!_

HE DOESN'T KNOW WE'RE A GIRL!!  
  
"Wait a moment," Sakura said out loud, coming back to her senses. "I CAN'T fall for him. I can't. If I do, in my disguise, people will think I'm gay. And he'll freak out and never want to be near me again…" (**a/n: nothing against gays; for the sake of the story, Sasuke has to be afraid of them.**)

_And if he DOES learn you're a girl, your secret will be out, and you'll have let down Dad,_ Sakura's mind said sadly. _You can't win him. There's just no way._

Sakura sat down on the edge of bed, oblivious to the noises of the boys outside her dorm room in the hall, her eyes wide and mouth slightly parted. She had just had her first taste of young love…and she couldn't claim it.

She had never before realized how much love in denial cuts to the marrow. 

**Breakfast**

"Sakumo, what's wrong?" Naruto asked. "You look…dejected."

"What? No, I'm fine," Sakumo protested. Her eyes stole down the table to where Sasuke was sitting across from Neji, forking sausage into his mouth with his good hand, gesturing as he ate. She remembered that Sasuke was the captain and Neji had been made the co-captain of the basketball team, they were probably discussing their plans.

"Sakumo?"

She came back to earth with a jolt.

"How long do you think it'll be before Sasuke can use his hand?" Kiba asked anxiously. "We'll need him."

"Oh, uh…it shouldn't take long," Sakura said, slightly distracted. "He didn't break a bone or anything, the skin just needs to heal up. He should be fine in a while."

"Any idea why he punched your mirror?" Shikamaru asked. Sakura shook her head.

"Yosh! We must leave soon – the bell of youth rings in a minute!" Lee cried. Everyone got up at once, slinging their bags over their shoulders. Sakura stole another glance at Sasuke: he had stopped talking with Neji and was now heading for their first class, looking as coolly careless as ever. Sakura suddenly found that she was having trouble breathing in a steady rhythm. It came in gasps and spurts, as Sasuke lifted a hand to his hair and brushed a few raven-hued strands out of his eyes. Sakura put her head down and scuttled off to class, praying that Sasuke would not be sitting next to her in class.

She didn't know which she would be able to stop concentrating on more: the teacher's pervertedness, or Sasuke's deep black eyes. 

**Basketball Courts**

Sakura had skipped dinner that night. She just plain wasn't hungry. Instead, she had changed to her favorite gray Fire Ninja T-shirt and a pair of red shorts. Taking only a water bottle, she slipped down to the courts and selected a ball.

"'Start with the simple drills'," she murmured, remembering the lessons her father had given her. "The basics are the most important thing: go over them one by one: dribbling, driving, passing, and shooting."

Sakura spun the ball in her hands, breathing in the worn leather smell that always was there, no matter what surfaces the ball had touched. Polished wood or grimy concrete, it didn't matter: the ball always smelled the same.

Simple dribbles: 10 bounces using only the right hand, 10 using only the left. Then a 'V', switching hands every dribble. Then dribbling around yourself in a circle, using only one hand at a time. Then walk along a line, dribbling between your legs with every step. The rhythms were familiar, comforting, long-worn from the many times Sakura had done them. No matter the time or conditions, she always opened her basketball sessions with this pattern. Her father had drilled it into her long ago. 

**Flashback**

_"Sakura, want to play a little one-on-one?" her father asked one night after dinner. Her mother looked worried._

"Saki, no, remember what the doctor said? You're supposed to rest your lungs!"

"Sure, daddy!" the little pink-haired girl sitting on the floor chirped. Her mother burped the baby boy on her shoulder anxiously.

"Saki, please…"

The tall man with a mop of wild red hair fixed his wife with his gaze.

"I gave up the pros for my lungs. I can't give up the sport entirely, not as long as our child wants to play it."

"Oh, I give up, Saki, honestly," his wife said, shaking the little boy gently. The father took the hand of his little daughter and led her out back, where there was a basketball court.

"Alright, Daddy, I'm on offense first!" the little girl said in excitement, her pink hair bobbing in time with her steps. Her father wagged a finger.

"Not so fast, little Sakura. Remember what we have to do first?"

"But DADDY!" the girl whined. "I wanna PLAY!"

"So do I," her father replied, "but if we jump right into playing, we will never take the time to review the basics that allow us to play. You build on the basics, therefore they are essential."

"What's 'essential', Daddy?" the little girl asked, puzzled. Her father laughed.

"You are, Sakura, you are essential in every way." He picked her up and swung her over his head. Sakura laughed, enjoying the ride. Finally, her father put her down.

"'Essential' means important," he said.

"So am I essential to you, Daddy?" Sakura asked. Her father smiled sadly.

"You are, my dear, you are."

**End Flashback **

"No," Sakura murmured, dribbling a little harder as though to block out a sound. "No, don't think about it, Sakura, just don't think about it…"

Her dribbles became more erratic, less predictable, as she battled with the rising memories the only way she knew how: beating them to death under her basketball on the court.

**Flashback**

_A white room, spotlessly clean. Her pinkness in a red jumper was a spot, a blemish, a fleck of blood in the endless sea of white. A white apron over a medical gown, underneath which was a pair of Nikes. A soft voice that echoed…_

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Haruno, we've done everything we could, but…"

A stifled sob, the scent of antidisinfectant, no, the stench of it, everywhere, clinging to her nostrils…

And they were wheeling the bed away, its steel legs blue against the white, the wasted, thin body on top covered with a white sheet. The bed had been too small: a set of bare feet hung off the end of the gurney, swaying with the bed.

**------------------------------------------------  
**_  
'You are essential to me, my little Sakura.'_

Cherry blossoms covered the lawn as the movers finished lugging out the huge sofa. Pink locks stood out against the blackness of the hastily dyed blouse and jumper. Next to her stood a woman, also garbed in black, a baby on her arm, the only one wearing white.

Driving away in a blue sedan, kneeling up to look back at the large, happy house. She almost could see him now, his red hair streaming, as he waved goodbye at them from the cement block and two hoops in the backyard…

Her mother noticed her waving in the rearview mirror; in a sharp voice told her to sit.  
  
------------------------------------------------

_A new home, a new life. Rats in the walls, always afraid of being bitten. Rat poison killing the child next door, who was too little to know better. Sparse furniture, little money, a jar full of pennies on the kitchen counter. Her mother had little time, always on the move between the baby, the courthouse, and work. Between white, red, and black there was no time for pink. All alone, except for the familiar leather ball with tiny goosebumps across it._

The cement court was not too far away, laid down by some do-gooder in a vacant lot. Two beaten, worn hoops with chains for nets. Graffiti splattered like guts on the walls, chalk on the ground detailing old scores. High chain-link fence with a doorway cut into it protected any stray balls from bouncing into the street. Dead leaves were stuck against the chainlinks, paper cups jammed into the holes to form profane words. Here, in this lot of misery and slum life, was the place where she began to heal.

The rhythm: block out the sounds, the pain, the darkness with every stroke of the ball. Walk the line: feel the comfort of rough leather against the pad of your hand. The big boys from downtown are playing violently, one of them threatens to knife another. Ignoring them, she plays and shoots, enjoying the clink of the ball against the chains.

Here, in this enclosed, beaten-down court, was freedom. Freedom from the haunting memories, the oppressive pain.  
  
**End Flashback**

Sakura turned and executed a perfect jump shot, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. She retrieved the ball and got on the free throw line. Free throws: nothing between you and your goal. Only precision, accuracy, and the perfect snap. No one realized it: but the absence of pressure from the defense only increased the pressure of taking the shot. It was easier to shoot when there was something in your way, rather than when it was just you and the net. Sakura could always beat any obstacle, even the older guys from the 'hood, twice her size, that had challenged her in the court near her house. Fake, dodge, roll…

The swish of net, the clink of chains. The most triumphant, the most perfect sound on earth. Nothing could get between her ball and that net. Nothing.

Except for HIM. Aside from her father, no one else had been able to block her shots with such ease, such grace. It was frustrating, but exhilarating: the challenge of getting past a calm, cool opponent, not a foul-mouthed hoodlum. Sakura raised her arms, fixed her eyes on the rim, and snapped. Perfect backspin, perfect arc.

Swish. Thunk…

The ball hit the ground only once. Sakura had it and was racing to the other net. Leg and arm up in synchronization…

Swish.

This time, there was no thunk, only the beating of the ball as Sakura streaked towards the other net. Another layup, right on target. Backboard-swish. No rim.

Now for the jumping. Sakura had learned from her father that leg muscles were essential to any basketball player, especially the guard. The point guard, if necessary, had to be able to make a perfect jump shot from outside the 3-point line, over the head of a defender. Thus, jumping was an essential skill.

Sakura stood on the end line and faced the far net, breathing hard. Her leg muscles sent her brain the signal: they were ready.

Sakura sprinted for the far net and leapt at it, her arms rising high…

And she slammed the ball through the hoop. Satisfied, she swung down off the wire rim. Even though she was only 5'7", Sakura could slam like a pro. If she could reach the rim on a jump, she could jump over an opponent and shoot from outside the 3-point line.

"Wow, Sakumo!"

Sakura turned to see Naruto and the rest of the gang filing into the court. All of them were amazed at how high she had jumped. Sakura dropped the ball and trotted over to her water bottle, squeezing the stuff into her mouth. She bent her head, pulled up the bottom of her shirt, and wiped her damp forehead on it.

"Hey, guys," she said. "I'm off."

"Don't you want to play?" Shikamaru asked. Sakura shook her head.

"Nah, I'm fine."

She took a look at her watch: she had been down here for two hours. Setting off for the dorm at a steady jog, Sakura heard Naruto's voice behind her.

"Isn't it strange how he plays for such a long time, yet his hair's never damp?" 

**Sasuke and Sakumo's Dorm**

Sakura opened the door, expecting Sasuke to be working on his homework. To her surprise, he wasn't in the room.

_But we didn't pass him on the way up, and we didn't see him with the guys,_ Inner Sakura said.

_Where is he?_

Sakura suddenly realized that she had left her jacket downstairs in the lobby/lounge room. She trotted down the stairs to save the wait for the elevator and emerged in the lobby. Many of the other Fire Building residents were sitting on the couches, watching the huge TV. Others were in the computer lab, emailing their parents and girlfriends. Sakura picked up her jacket and looked around. She didn't spend that much time in the lounge, to be honest. Just then, she caught sight of the fitness room, where Firestone provided equipment for students to work out on. There were a couple of guys pumping iron in there. But at the far end of the hall that led away from the lounge, there was a door that opened into a pool area. Sakura could see, through the glass in the door, that there was someone in the water. A closer glance proved it to be Sasuke, swimming laps. Sakura blushed and headed back for the dorm.

_If only we could go down to the pool and watch him swim in only swim trunks! _Inner Sakura wailed.

_Shut up, that would give us away,_ Sakura told herself sternly. _Besides, you can't go swimming._

Why not?

Your disguise, remember? If the guys expect you to only wear a pair of swim trunks…  
  
Sakura blushed. _Well, you know they'll find out about those,_ Inner Sakura said, prodding her ribs, where the bandages were.

"Ouch!" Sakura said, wincing.

"What?" someone asked. Sakura turned to find herself staring at Neji, who was standing beside her on the stair landing.

"Oh, nothing, just a stitch," Sakura invented, rubbing her ribs. She noticed Neji was glistening with sweat. She frowned.

"What are you doing, Neji?"

"Running up and down the stairs to get in shape," Neji said, jogging in place. "Basketball training camp's this weekend, remember?"

He looked over her scrawny form, stopping at her torso again. Sakura blushed.

"And if I were you, I'd start working out, too," Neji said lightly, jogging past her and continuing down the stairs. 

**Sakura and Sakumo's Dorm**

"Oh, gosh," Sakura breathed, closing the dorm door, "I thought we'd had it, there."

_You think he knows?  
_  
"No, he can't have," Sakura said to herself. "He just thinks I'm too scrawny for my size and skill, that's all."

She grabbed a change of clothes and went into the bathroom. Once inside and the door was locked, she dared to pull off the wig and allow her true pinks locks to cascade down to her shoulders. Sakura lifted a strand critically.

"I'll have to get it cut. It's getting too long for the wig."

Her mind suddenly registered the fact that she wasn't going home for two weekends. Sakura sighed and unlocked the bathroom door, emerging into the dorm. Her pink hair was in plain sight as she rummaged through her things for a pair of scissors.

Back in the bathroom, with the door locked, Sakura opened the lid of the toilet and looked sadly at her hair.

"Here goes!"

Snip. Snip. Snip.

Pink hair cascaded down into the bowl. Finally, Sakura's hair was at the right length, maybe a little shorter. She tugged on it sadly.

"Well, no one's going to be looking at it, anyway."

She flushed the toilet, watching her hair vanish down the pipes. Then Sakura took a shower, cleaning out any last loose strands of her newly cut hair. Once clean, she redressed and opened the door.

Sasuke still wasn't back, so Sakura flopped down on the bed and looked up at her poster of the '93 Fire Ninja. Her father, so confident, so loving, beamed out at her from the front.

"Hey, Dad," she said, exhausted. "I've been doing your exercises. I hope you're OK with what I'm doing here – I'm doing it for Damien, and for you."

Her father's brown eyes, so unlike her own jade ones, still stared out from the poster at her. Sakura sighed.

"I've got a problem, Dad. You see, there's this guy I like. I like him a LOT. The strange thing is, I don't know why. You probably know him – you see him every night, he sleeps over there." She pointed at Sasuke's perfectly made bed. "The thing is, Dad, he'll never notice me or know me for what I really am. He just thinks I'm an annoying, scrawny new kid who plays basketball too well for his size. I'll never get him to see who I really am – I can't." A tear welled up bright in her eyes. "So Dad, I guess what I'm asking is, can you make it so that he knows who I really am, without my having to sacrifice your dream? 'Cause I just don't know what to do anymore."

While Sakura cried silently on her bed, her father's eyes seemed to grow a little more sympathetic. And Haruno Saki, though he never changed as he looked out from the poster over his daughter, seemed to understand her plea.

_'You are essential to me, my little Sakura.'_

**I think this was the chapter in which I was most poetic. I had fun with the flashbacks… **

**Wow, this story is beloved already! I feel special! –huggles self- THANK YOU to all my reviewers!!! LOVE YA! **

**-Rhulain **


	8. Days 8 to 12: Training Camp Begins!

_**Recap from Day 7:**__ Sakura has just discovered what her true feelings for Sasuke are, and yet she must live in constant denial every day. She is a girl in disguise at an all-guys school; she cannot afford to blow her cover. It would mean disgrace...and a failure to complete her father's dream._

Sakura is beginning to realize that her budding love may conflict with her love of her father. As she blows steam on the court, old memories of her deceased parent come flooding back, coupled with fresh thoughts of Sasuke.

Sasuke has returned from the hospital wing, where he was placed after he punched a mirror. While escorting him there, Sakura heard him murmur something about Itachi, his older brother and the new basketball coach. What sort of rivalries could possibly exist between the brothers?  


**Sasuke and Sakumo's Dorm**

Sasuke woke early, muffling the alarm. He looked across the room at Sakumo, was sleeping soundly, his mop of brown hair spread out across the pillow. Sasuke shook off the covers and rolled out of bed, treading on the cover of _King of Sand_ as he did so. Growling, he picked up the book and laid it on the nightstand. Grabbing his uniform, he hurried into the bathroom to shower.

Sasuke turned on the water in the shower, but the water was pooling in the tub, not draining. He frowned. Something was clogging the drain. Sasuke turned off the water and pulled out his penknife on the keychain he had, which had all kinds of attachments. Opening the screwdriver, Sasuke picked at the cover of the drain and had it off in no time. Wincing in disgust, he dug down in the drain, feeling for the offending clog. His hand came up with something that made him stare, ignoring the slime trickling down his arm.

Sasuke was holding a small bundle of pink hair.

_I don't believe it,_ Sasuke's inner self said. _Where is all this PINK HAIR coming from?!!  
_  
_Is Sakumo's real color pink, like his sister's?_ Sasuke suggested. _He could be dyeing it brown._

That would make sense, his inner said_, But the hairs aren't partially pink and partially brown, like they would be if he was dyeing it. And you've never seen a package of dye in here._

Whatever. This is getting REALLY weird, Sasuke told himself.

_You've got THAT right,_ his inner replied.

Sakura awoke with a jolt as the curtains were thrown open. Sasuke was standing at the window between the two beds, looking up at the rising sun.

"Are you getting up or not?"

"Unn, OK, I'm up," Sakura groaned. Sasuke looked down at his roommate.

_Yeah, right, he has pink hair,_ Inner Sasuke scoffed. _Look at that bedhead of brown!_

_It IS perfect, right down to the roots,_ Sasuke admitted. _There's no way that's a dye job._

It could be a wig, Inner Sasuke suggested. _His hair hasn't grown in length at all since the first day…_

What, are you planning to pull on his hair and tell him you think he's wearing a wig? Sasuke demanded of himself_. Forget it._

Sakumo glanced up at him.

"You OK?"

Sasuke frowned and turned back to the window.

"Hnn."  
_  
Was he looking at us?_ Inner Sakura asked. _Checking us out?_

NO, Sakura retorted_. He's a GUY. You're pretending to be a GUY. GET OVER HIM ALREADY!_

But he's soooo HOT! Inner Sakura said, licking her lips. Sakura groaned.

"What?"

Sakura clapped a hand over her mouth, realizing that she'd groaned out loud.

"Nothing."

"Hnn." Sasuke crossed his arms and kept staring out the window. Sakura got out of bed, grabbed her clothes, and made it to the bathroom without ever having Sasuke turn around from the window. She locked the door and changed quickly, coming out while straightening her tie.

Sasuke was already gone, his bag gone from the chair where he normally left it. Sakura hurriedly grabbed her own bag and room key and hurried downstairs to breakfast, suddenly starving.

**Timeskip**

Three days went by without incident, during which Sakura and Sasuke managed to be decently civil to one another. The amount of homework they were given had been so great that no one had been able to meet for a basketball scrimmage. Now, all the new men on the Firestone Basketball team were waiting anxiously for the weekend: and the first session of training camp.

On Saturday, Sasuke and Sakura both awoke with a groan as the alarm went off at 4:00 in the morning. Wiping sleep from their eyes, they slowly donned their basketball clothes. Sakura wore her grey T-shirt with 'Property of the '93 Fire Ninja' printed on it, with a set of orange shorts. She left her fake glasses in their case: no need for them today. Sakura looked in the mirror and prayed that her real features, undisguised by make-up, would not seem extremely different to the boys. There was no point in putting on her make-up to transform her face: it would come off as she sweated.

Sasuke made no comment as his roommate emerged, puffy bags under eyes. He looked a little different, but that was just the early morning. Sasuke was wearing his own navy blue T-shirt with 'Fire Ninja' also printed on it, only with flames streaking up the sides in brilliant orange.

Sakura noticed Sasuke was also wearing a Fire Ninja shirt, but was too tired to say anything about it. Inner Sakura didn't even have the energy to say that Sasuke was looking hot today, which he was. While Sakura had been changing, Sasuke had woken up a little more. Sakura was still drooping, but Sasuke, to all appearances, looked wide awake. He grabbed a water bottle.

"Coming?"

"Ugh," Sakura groaned, making a face. "And we have to do this next weekend, too."

When they got outside the Fire Building, Sasuke didn't head for the cafeteria, like Sakura had planned. Instead, he went straight for Firestone's huge gym.

"What, aren't we stopping for breakfast?" Sakura called. If Sasuke heard her, he didn't answer. Heaving a sigh, Sakura went after him. Sasuke was the captain and the brother of the coach, he obviously knew something she didn't.

The gym was brilliantly lit. Itachi was standing in the center of the court, going over something on his clipboard. He looked up as Sasuke and Sakura entered.

"Sakumo. Sasuke."

"Morning, Coach," Sakura yawned. Sasuke ignored his older brother, instead choosing to stretch over by the bleachers.

One by one, the rest of the team trickled in. Sasuke was the only one who looked awake. Everyone else was in various states of sleepiness, Shikamaru actually sleeping on the floor.

"I waited by the cafeteria for FIFTEEN MINUTES!" Naruto whined. "When do we get breakfast?"

Itachi glanced at him. "You won't if you don't stop complaining."

Naruto shut up.

Finally, the last of the team arrived. Itachi looked at the big clock over the entrance to the gym.

"You are late. I expect all of you here, on time, ready to go."

"It would be easier if we'd known not to go to breakfast!" someone called. Itachi glared at the team, which was now sitting on the bleachers, listening to him.

"You are now on my team, under my command. If I say you don't eat, no morsel of food will pass your lips. If I say you run, you will run until you either die or I tell you to stop. If I tell you to play basketball, you play with everything you've got!"

Sakura sat up a little straighter. This coach was SERIOUS. Itachi glared at the fifteen boys gathered in front of him.

"I chose you for this team out of the fifty hopefuls who showed up. You saw them leaving the gym the day of tryouts. I hope you took a good look: they got off easy. You will run, you will dribble, you will fight for the ball, you will DIE if I tell you too!" Itachi roared. Now everyone was awake.

"Why would we die for a sport?" another person called. Itachi fixed the team with his frightening stare.

"Basketball is only worth it if you're willing to give it everything you've got," he said softly. He glanced around the bleachers. "I'm sure that Suna will be giving it their all," Itachi said quietly. Sakura heard Naruto growl and saw him clench his fist.

"I'm also sure your parents give it their all in whatever they do," Itachi said. This time, his eyes were fixed on one person in particular: his younger brother. Sasuke's eyes were riveted on the floor, his fists clenched on his knees. His whole body had tensed as Itachi had spoken his recent sentence. Itachi took a step towards his brother, but redirected his words at the team.

"A dream is only a dream if you are willing to sacrifice everything for it," he said. "Even your time with your parents – or perhaps your parents themselves."

Sasuke's eyes were sparking, smouldering, his knuckles turning white. He had had the bandage removed from his knuckles, but the pearly scar was still etched across his knuckles. Sakura's heart pounded as she saw it. That was what had happened when Sasuke had last seen Itachi. What would happen now?

But whatever provocation Sasuke was experiencing, it was barely inside the rim of his control. Slowly, ever so slowly, his hands relaxed and his spine curved back.

"Line up on the sideline," Itachi rapped out suddenly. Sakura leapt up, but no one else was moving. They were all in various stupors.

"Do you want to eat?" Itachi demanded. "GET UP!"

The team came to life. Itachi paced before the team as the fifteen boys hastily scrambled into line. He checked his clipboard and looked up at them.

"Sasuke Uchiha! Step forward."

Sasuke did so with the tight precision of a soldier, his hands tight again. Itachi nodded. He checked his list again.

"Neji Hyuuga!"

Neji took a pace forward.

"Kiba Inuzuka!"

Kiba came forward, grinning. He thought he knew what was happening.

"Naruto Uzumaki!"

Naruto's stomach growled as he came forward. Itachi checked his list for a long time before looking up.

"Sakumo Hayaro!"

Sakura took a step forward, feeling something turn over in her stomach. Itachi nodded at them.

"You are Team One. Go stand on the end line."

"We're Team One?" Naruto hissed as they obeyed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Shut up," Kiba groaned. "My head hurts enough as it is."

Itachi split the remaining ten into Teams Two and Three. They, too, came to stand on the end line. Itachi now addressed his three teams.

"For now, we will treat these teams as the first, second, and third string players." Naruto looked excitedly at Sasuke and Neji.

"Did ya hear that, Sakumo?" he whispered. "We're first string!"

"But that does not mean these positions are permanent," Itachi said coolly. Naruto's face fell. "I will almost definitely be switching players around. But for today, these groupings will do. Ones, on the line!"

The other two teams groaned. They knew what was coming…and they were doing it on empty stomachs. Sakura felt slightly light-headed, but she pushed it off. Next to her, Kiba was trying to ignore the audible growling coming from his gut.

"Suicides," said Itachi smoothly. "On my whistle."

_PHWEET!  
_  
Sakura took off, moving as fast as she could. She was aware that Kiba and Naruto were falling behind, slowing to a fast jog. Only Neji and Sasuke were actually sprinting beside her, and Neji wasn't as fast as she or Sasuke. The two of them flashed across the final end line side by side, panting for breath. Itachi nodded.

"Twos, line up."

_PHWEET!  
_  
"This is not a jog," Itachi said as the Twos ran. "You are not picking daisies. MOVE!"

The Twos pushed themselves over the line.

"Threes."

_PHWEET!  
_  
Sakura got on the line, allowing herself a glimpse of Sasuke. He had his knuckles on the ground, bracing for a push-off.

_PHWEET!  
_  
This time, Sakura's stomach did a funny flip as she came to a halt at the end of the suicide. Sasuke was doing his best to look tough, but even he couldn't disguise the painful growls coming from his own stomach.

Again, and again, and again…

Sakura felt like she could puke by the end of her sixth run. Her muscles screamed for rest, her stomach cried out for food. Her head was spinning. She staggered against the wall, not the only one suffering the effects of hunger. Around her, others were doing the same. Sasuke lined up again, refusing to allow his hunger to best him. Trying to imitate him, Sakura lined up, and the rest of Team One followed her example.

"This is a test of your strength and your determination to keep going in the face of adversity," Itachi said. His black gaze transferred to Sasuke. He hadn't blown the whistle yet. Sasuke's gaze was hard, his body tense and ready to run. 

"This is the question I ask you: how long can you keep going before you crack? How far can I push you? I won't go easy, I promise you. How long are you willing to remain under my command before you disobey? How long will you subject yourself to my rule before you cannot take it any more?"

Sasuke's face was turning white. But he did not waver, nor did he stop looking at the free throw line extended, their first target. Itachi smiled slightly.

"We shall see."

_PHWEET!  
_  
Sasuke took off with such ferocious speed that not even Sakura could match him. He was so fast that he had reached the other end line while Sakura was still sprinting to the far free throw line extended. He passed her on his way back, his eyes cold, hard, and sparking. Towards the half-court line, he stumbled, but pushed himself up almost before he hit the floor. Sasuke charged at the end line with a guttural roar, his head bent like a charging bull.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

THUNK!

Sasuke rammed the padded wall and slid to the floor, panting. Itachi smirked.

"Twos up."

_PHWEET!_

Sakura bent over, gasping for air. Beside her, Sasuke was already up, ready to go again. He was still coldly furious, his body pumping, wanting to be unleashed.

Finally, the Ones lined up again. Sakura waited for the whistle, but Itachi still hadn't blown it.

"Have you given up yet?" he asked them. "You see, half of the battle is mental. You have to be able to see your dream, to taste it, be willing to sacrifice anything for it. If you give up your drive to take your dream, you will inevitably fail. That is what happened last year; it happens every time you lose a game. Every single time you lose, you have failed mentally."

Sasuke had gone even whiter, but he still kept his concentration focused on the far end line, waiting for the signal. Itachi smiled. It was not a nice one.

"So that is your challenge: keep your passion alive and burning, keep going mentally. But, judging from your falling performance, you have already given up."

Sasuke growled softly, a soft sound from deep in his chest. Itachi put the whistle to his lips.

_PHWEET!_

This time, Sasuke outstripped them all, finishing almost a full minute before the rest. The combined causes of his increased drive and the team's failing strength lengthened the gap between the captain and the other four. The other two teams ran. When Team Two came back, Shikamaru collapsed. Panting, he looked over at Sasuke.

"Sasuke, please!" he begged. "The guys can't take it anymore. Call it off – tell Coach to stop!"

Sasuke merely glared at him. Shikamaru recoiled. In that glare was something like shards of ice. Sasuke lined up again as Team Three came heavily in. Groaning, Naruto and Kiba joined Neji and Sakura on the line. But even Neji was looking fatigued. Sakura didn't know how much longer she could hold out.

_PHWEET!_

Sasuke flew across the line in record time, again, leaving the rest of his team to stagger back in. The Twos reluctantly forced their bodies to the line, but when the whistle blew, they could only manage a jog.

"Can't you get the Captain to get Coach to stop?" one of the juniors on Team Three begged Kiba. Kiba shook his head sadly.

"He won't do it. Look at him."

Indeed, Sasuke had an almost maniacal gleam in his eye. Sakura knew in an instant that he would run until he died right now, just to prove some unspoken point.

"Ones, again."

_PHWEET!  
_  
They went through two more rounds of suicides. Finally, Itachi called up Team Three. He put the whistle to his lips.

"Coach, PLEASE!"

Itachi turned to face the speaker. Neji spread his arms pleadingly.

"We've gone as far as we can. You pushed us to our limits, we can't go any further."

He pointed at Team Three. One of the boys was coughing and looking like he might retch, the others were in other similar predicaments. It was clear they couldn't run much further. Itachi put the whistle to his lips when another voice stopped him.

"They've run enough, Coach. Let them go."

Sakura turned, sweat streaming down her face, to see Sasuke standing upright, his arms crossed, eyes locked in a silent battle with his brother.

"Oh? And how does my captain plan on backing up my co-captain?" Itachi asked softly. Sasuke glared.

"They can't go any further without something to eat or a break." He tossed his head. "Make me do their sprints, I'll do everyone's. But they have had enough."

Itachi thought about this offer.

"Very well, then. You and I will stay after and you will run the rest of the suicides," he agreed. The whole team stared at Sasuke, who gazed stubbornly back at his older brother.

"It is now 6:30," Itachi said, looking at the large clock again. "The cafeteria will be open for fifteen minutes. I suggest you hurry up and eat, because we will not take another break until lunch. You will all be back here at 6:45." 

**Cafeteria**

"Gosh, I'm STARVED!" Naruto whined as he and Sakura made their way along the breakfast bar, trays in hand. "I think I'll have some sausage, and pancakes, and…"

"Don't eat that!" Sakura cried, stopping Naruto's hand as he prepared to scoop up some hash browns. Naruto's brow furrowed.

"Why not?"

"This is another test," Sakura said grimly. "Itachi's going to make us work our butts off for this fifteen minute break. Stick to light foods, stuff that won't weigh you down. Like eggs and toast with a bit of honey. Don't forget fruit."

She spooned herself some of the aforementioned eggs and drizzled her toast with honey. Naruto stared at her light tray.

"That's like, NO FOOD!" he complained.

"Right, and you won't have time to eat all that heavy stuff, much less be able to run on it," Sakura replied, taking a generous bite out of her toast without bothering to sit. Naruto quickly grabbed the same foods as she had and sat down beside her.

"You'd better be right about this, Sakumo," he growled, digging into his large portion of eggs. Sakura rolled her eyes.

They were done in a record seven minutes. Sakura scraped off her tray and snagged a couple protein bars on her way out the door. They might come in handy, you never knew.

Sasuke was still at the court, arms crossed, waiting for the team. Sakura held out a protein bar.

"Here. You must be hungry."

Sasuke brushed it away.

"Sasuke, come on! You've got three minutes, and you haven't had anything to eat!" Sakura protested. Sasuke shot her an icy glare.

"It's Captain while we're on the court, Hayaro," he said softly.

"But Sas- Captain, you've got to eat something," Sakura said in exasperation.

"Alright, get a ball and get on the sideline!" Itachi called. Sakura looked despairingly at Sasuke, but he ignored her and chose a ball.

The rest of the day was absolutely grueling. Itachi permitted them a half-hour break for lunch, but again, Sakura had to prevent Naruto from weighing himself down with heavy foods. Those who did not have Sakura's foresight were not so lucky – they stumbled along behind the rest of the pack, groaning and retching as their bodies rejected the food to lighten the weight and effort of constant motion.

Sasuke allowed no bite of food to pass his lips, spending their half-hour break in the gym, doing kami knows what, thought Sakura. Her sympathy was gone for him by midmorning. Sasuke was a jerk now, an idiot who was starving himself and overworking himself. She couldn't see how she had ever liked him.

The sun had risen on the training camp, and so it went down. Yet Itachi only turned on the gym lights and demanded that they keep going. They had not had dinner yet, the meal from 12:00 long gone, Sakura fought the dizziness spells induced by hunger and kept going. They had covered all the basics, now, the teams were scrimmaging.

"Team One against Team Two." Itachi threw the jump ball up. Neji, the center, tapped it to Sasuke. He dribbled it down the court, where he passed it to Sakura. Her defenseman was too tired to keep up with her, so Sakura drove right to the basket and put the ball in. Itachi blew his whistle.

"Training camp is over for today," he said, glancing at the panting, soaked, sweating fifteen players around him. "You may go."

Fourteen boys moved to collect their things and go. Naruto shoved his towel into his duffel bag and slung it wearily over his shoulder.

"If I collapse before we reach the dorm, carry me in, OK, Sakumo?"

Sakura wasn't listening. Instead, she had turned around in the doorway of the gym to watch the two Uchiha. Sasuke was on the line, Itachi blowing the whistle. The sounds of Sasuke's labored breathing echoed off the gym walls, but he neither complained nor slowed down.

"Come on, Sakumo, leave that idiot alone," Naruto growled, tugging Sakura's arm. "He asked for it."

Sakura couldn't explain it, but as she left the gym and emerged into the cool autumn night, she couldn't help but feel that she'd abandoned Sasuke to some dire fate.

**Tensions rise! Why are Sasuke and Itachi so cold to each other? Could Itachi's statements have any double meanings? When will Sasuke return from doing suicides?**

**Conclusion to the first weekend of training camp! I've been through similar suicides; trust me, every description in here of the suicides is accurate down to the gruesome details. Suicides are NOT fun. **

**Make sure you read this chapter carefully – some of what is said is VITALLY important to the story! Heheh…leave you hanging for more! Bye bye!**

**Rhulain**


	9. Week 2 concluded! Sasuke Returns

_**Disclaimer: **_If you think I own Naruto, why do you think I'd be writing such sappy fanfictions about my own work?!?

_**Recap:**__ The team has just finished the first weekend of Itachi's grueling training camp. After forcing them to run suicides on empty stomachs, Sasuke finally called the drill off, telling his older brother, the coach, that he would complete the entire team's suicides alone after practice._

All throughout the camp, Sakura seemed to feel a tension between the two brothers; captain and coach. Itachi's words to the team seem to have an adverse effect on Sasuke, causing him to push himself to the uttermost limit.

Sakura's mind is now revolving around one single question: What is going on between her stunningly handsome roommate and his elder brother, the basketball coach?  


**Sasuke and Sakumo's Dorm**

Sasuke staggered into the dorm room at 11:00. Sakura had stayed up, reading lamp on, waiting for him and reading _King of Sand_, which she'd found on her nightstand by some strange coincidence (author: Sasuke stepped on it and put it on the wrong nightstand. Nothing special.). She looked up as Sasuke came in, dripping with sweat. Ignoring her, he took two steps towards the bathroom and nearly fell over. Clutching the back of a chair with his breath ragged in his throat, he managed to keep himself upright. The door clicked shut as Sasuke disappeared into the bathroom. Sakura heard the shower turn on and the sounds of retching. Ignoring the noises from the bathroom, she returned to the novel.

It was quite a fascinating story, set in modern times. An ordinary boy who liked cute girls suddenly found out that the new pretty girl at his high school was actually the head of his security. It turned out that the boy was the Prince of a neighboring country, and the girl was his bodyguard. The Prince's older brother had killed their father and taken the throne by force, so the organization that defended the Prince banded together and planned to restore him to his proper throne. Along the way, the Prince discovered that his bodyguard was actually the long-lost Princess of yet another kingdom. He fell in love with her along the way, and the book ended happily with their unification.

Sasuke, however, had made notes in the margins of the book, especially around the paragraphs that talked about the older brother and how he had killed the old King and taken his place by force. In one particular spot, he had written something that lodged itself in Sakura's mind:

_'There is no guardian girl in the real life story. There is no hope in the end, even for the storybook characters. Everyone dies – including the older brother.'  
_  
Sakura couldn't make heads or tails of it. Why was Sasuke referring to a 'real-life' story? Further down, she read another comment:

_'The hero is left alone in the end, everyone else is dead. He isn't a hero any more, he becomes a shell of what once was. He destroys the older brother, but in doing so, sets the stage for everything around him to disappear as well. There is no hope.'_

And again, on the next page, next to several sentences that had been underlined:

_'No hope._'

What was Sasuke's point with these notes? It was clear that the 'guardian girl' represented some sort of hope in the story, but Sasuke had said that she didn't exist in real life. So was he saying there was no hope in life?

_Wow, that's a brand new take on the way he thinks,_ Inner Sakura said sarcastically.

_It might explain why he's so secretive and moody, though,_ Sakura thought.

The bathroom door opened, and Sakura figured that Sasuke wouldn't appreciate her reading his book, especially if he had written such cryptic notes in them. She closed the book hastily and set it on his nightstand. Sasuke came out and threw himself on his bed, closing his eyes out of sheer exhaustion. Sakura looked at him for a moment.

"Thank you."

Sasuke opened an eye. It was all the energy he had to ask what she meant. Sakura continued.

"Thanks for running all the extra suicides. I'm sure the guys are grateful."

Sasuke's eye closed, apparently too tired to contradict, reply, or argue. Sakura reached out and flicked off the light.

The alarm rang all too soon. Sakura groaned and made to climb out of bed, but Sasuke's hand slammed the alarm off. He rolled over and closed his eyes again.

"Don't we have to get up?" Sakura wondered out loud. Sasuke spoke without opening his eyes.

"No. We get the day off. Training's only on Saturday. Go back to sleep."

Grateful for the extra hours, Sakura crawled back under the covers and resumed sleeping.

Sasuke didn't tell her that it was he who had negotiated the day off last night with Itachi.

**The Next Morning**

When Sakura finally woke up for real, the digital clock read 1:30. She'd slept that late? The bed beside her was empty, and she figured that Sasuke had already left. Yawning and stretching, Sakura began to get out of bed, then stopped as she saw the _King of Sand _novel. It sat in a beam of noonday sun, looking innocently up at her. Sakura remembered she'd only gotten through part of it last night. Now she had to read _King of Fire_. She picked up the book, propped it open and began to read.

_King of Fire_ was a lot shorter than _King of Sand_ – and a lot more depressing. Nearly all the main and secondary characters from the first book were dead by the last chapter. In the end, just as Sasuke's notes had predicted, only the main character, the Prince, was left to his agony. Sakura was horrified at how fast the Prince and his former bodyguard fell apart, at how fast she died, and at how fast the villains of the story killed everyone else off. But after reading it through, Sakura knew it was really the hero's fault that everyone around him was dead. If he hadn't killed so many people to claim the throne, the villains wouldn't have had a cause to seek vengeance against him. But then again, if he hadn't killed all those people, his evil older brother would still be in charge. It was a moral dilemma he couldn't escape.

Sasuke had written most heavily by the descriptions of the characters dying. Sakura read a few of his notes.

_'The guardian girl, who was hope in the first book, is now a hassle to deal with. When she dies, the hero is left empty, though he knew he should have expected her to die this way.'  
_  
And further down:  
_  
'The consequences of killing your own brother run deep. The Prince can't escape his past, even with his bodyguard at his side. In the end, fate leaves him and only him to continue ruling in misery.'_

Sasuke seemed to relish the fights and deaths between the characters. His notes returned to the topic of reality.

_'Here it finally returns to realistic events. The storybook characters finally meet a taste of real life. All the fluff from the first book doesn't happen in real life. All that really exists is here, in _King of Fire_.'  
_  
Sakura closed the book and shook her head sadly. The ending to _King of Fire_ was awful, but Sasuke seemed to think it was all there was to real life. If she had had a choice, she would have stopped reading at _King of Sand._ But Sasuke was right, in a way: _King of Fire_, though depressing, brought the romantic elements to an end. When the harshness of reality was introduced to the characters, they fell in waves before it. In the end, only a shell of the former world existed.

Sakura checked the clock and saw that it was nearly 2:00. She showered, dressed, and set off to find the rest of the guys.

"Hey, Sakumo!" Kiba called as Sakura stepped off the elevator into the lounge room. "We were planning to take Neji's car into town and go out for dinner. You wanna come?"

"How much do I have to chip in?"

"Heh, he's in," Naruto said, throwing an arm around Sakura's shoulders. "We're going to Fujiwara's, in the downtown area."

Sakura froze. Fujiwara's…her friends worked there! Panicking inwardly, but keeping a relaxed face, Sakura agreed.

"Sure, why not?" 

**Fujiwara's**

"Man, this place is PACKED!" Naruto called over the press of people. Sakura couldn't agree more. Every weekend Fujiwara's was stuffed. She only hoped it was the girls' night off.

"Table for…" Neji had to count heads, there were a lot of guys in the party. "Seven, please."

The pretty hostess nodded. "It'll be a half an hour, sir."

Neji took the little buzzer she handed him and rejoined his group.

"It's too crowded, let's go outside," Kiba complained. Neji shrugged.

"Sure."

"Uh, I'm gonna go to the bathroom," Sakura said, inventing an excuse. Naruto nodded.

"Sure! I'll go with you!"

"Um, that's OK," Sakura said, getting nervous.

"Hold on…oh, no!"

Naruto's wallet had burst, pennies were dropping all over the place. Sakura squeezed through the crowd and made it out of sight before Naruto could stop her. Now to find the girls…

"Ino!"

The blonde waitress turned to see a boy with a mop of wild brown hair motioning at her wildly. She frowned.

"I don't know how you know my name, but I'm not interested, OK?"

"No, Ino, it's me!" the boy hissed. Ino growled.

"Stop stalking me! Go away, or I'll tell the manager!"

"Ino, what are you talking about?" the guy hissed. "It's me!"

Ino raised an eyebrow.

"You know…" the boy sighed. "Sakura?"

"OH MY GOSH!" 

Ino nearly dropped her tray.

"Hey, hey, keep it down," Sakura cautioned. "I don't need everyone finding out!!"

"Alright, come on back into the kitchen," Ino said breathlessly. Sakura followed her friend back into the kitchen, where she spotted two very familiar people waiting for their trays.

"Hinata, Tenten, who do you think this is?" Ino asked as they came up, a grin cracking her face. Tenten dropped a plate. Thankfully, it was clean and it was tough, so nothing broke. It just chipped.

"Oh my word! NO WAY!"

"Sakura?" Hinata asked in disbelief. "Is that really you?"

Sakura winked. "Yep."

"You really look like a guy!" Tenten said, walking around her in a circle. "I mean, REALLY look like a guy…"

"Who are you here with?" Hinata asked. Sakura leaned in.

"Look, that's what I need to tell you about. I'm with a party of six guys, all of whom have seen your picture. We're a large table, and you know some of us, we can't be hard to miss. Just…steer clear of us, OK? It's dangerous for my school world and my friends to mix, it leads to awkward questions. Just dodge their questions if one of them asks you. Please?"

"Sak, hun, we're your friends," Ino said, hugging her friend.

"Yeah, we won't betray you!" Tenten punched the air, treating it as a mission.

"I'll stay out of Neji nii-kun's way," Hinata assured her.

"Thank you SO much!" Sakura said, hugging each of her friends. "You don't know how much this means to me."

Sakura rejoined the boys feeling much more relieved. 

"How much longer?!" Shikamaru groaned. Neji checked his watch.

"It's been fifteen minutes already. We should get our table soon."

"Sakumo!" It was Naruto, coming out of the restaurant. "Where were you?"

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked. Naruto frowned.

"I went to the men's room and you weren't there! And I didn't see you on the way there or back, either…"

"Sure you didn't miss me?" Sakura asked lightly. "It's a big crowd."

"Maybe…"

"Ooh, look, our table's ready!" Kiba said, pointing. Neji jumped as the buzzer vibrated in his hand and flashed with evil red lights.

Sakura picked at her food, too nervous to eat much. She could see Ino, Tenten, and Hinata threading their way through the crowds on the other side of the restaurant, but she still couldn't help but worry. Finally, they were out of the restaurant, in Neji's car, and on their way back to Firestone.

"Geez, Fujiwara's has some pretty girls," Kiba said, leaning back. Shino snorted.

"I thought you went out with my sister."

"I do, and she's amazing," Kiba grinned. "But that doesn't mean I can't say any other girl's pretty."

"What did you think, Sakumo?" 

"Um…it was great," Sakura said.

The ride was uneventful, the journey to the dorm even less so. Sakura excused herself from the others and went to the computer lab to check her email. Sure enough, there were two of them sitting in her box. One was from FlOwErMoUnTaIn, the other from Haruno86. Sakura opened the one from Ino first.

From: FlOwErMoUnTaIn

To: PinkPointGuard

_Re:_ Firestone

_Hey, gurl! How's life at school?_

We're all kinda bored without our favorite point guard. Tenten keeps going down to the court and shooting baskets, treating each one like it's Neji's head or something. Hinata's been quiet, and I've been bored out of my skull. WHEN ARE YOU COMING BACK!?!? lol XD

Sure hope ya made the team. I guess we'll find out this weekend. If you come home, we'll party with ya, even though you didn't make it. If you don't come back, we'll celebrate for you! We deserve a medal :p

Hope the guys don't overwhelm ya! C U soon(I hope!)

Ino-chan  
  
Sakura smiled. Her friends still cared about her. She drafted a short response saying she'd made the team and sent it to her friend. Now for the one from her mom.

From: Haruno86

To: PinkPointGuard

Re: new school

_Hey, sweetie! Hope you're doing OK. It breaks my heart to think of you living there on a campus full of guys. If you ever want to back out, just let me know._

Damien's doing fine, he emailed me saying he's having the time of his life, just like you said. It's lonesome here without my babies.

Have you made any good friends? Is your roommate nice? Maybe, when this whole charade is all over, we can invite them over and you can introduce us. For now, simply because of your father's fame, we need to keep our connections down.

I love you, sweetie, unconditionally. Enjoy school, learn lots, and keep your secret!

Love, Mum  
  
Sakura smiled. She typed up a short email that conveyed only the highlights of her time at Firestone. Then she sat back, thinking. Neither Ino nor her mother could ever have guessed how impossible this "charade" was getting – especially when her heart was on the line.

Monday came, and the school was suddenly flooded with the students who had gone home for the weekend. The tired fifteen basketball teammates were suddenly surrounded with their friends. The only difference between this Monday and last was that they would be facing their first 2-hour practice with Itachi after school.

"Welcome back," Itachi said softly as the team sat down on the bleachers. "I see you survived the weekend and enjoyed your day off. Even though that wasn't the plan, you all seem refreshed enough."

Practice was difficult, but nothing new. Itachi had put them through their paces, running through five stations: dribbling, passing, cutting and picking, dodging, and shooting. It was an ordinary practice, if anything under Itachi could be called normal, Sakura thought. The Coach kept shooting glances at his younger brother, as though keeping a watchful eye on him. Sasuke ignored the coach, performing the drills with such graceful ease that Kiba and Naruto broke out into clapping at one point. They laughed loudly as Sasuke stopped, but two glares from Itachi and Sasuke both shut them up.

The next week flew by impossibly quickly. Between her school work and basketball, Sakura barely had time to eat and sleep. Sasuke, too, was feeling the pressure: he had been looking paler than usual lately, and he hadn't eaten as much. But he pushed himself harder than anyone else on the court, as though determined to prove a point to the stoically silent Itachi.

Sakura collapsed into bed Friday night feeling each and every one of her muscles ache. The dorm around her was as silent as the grave, all the students having left for the weekend already. Sasuke was reading silently on his bed, his eyes half-closed and fixed on the same spot on the page. He closed the book and looked at his roommate.

"We should get to bed. We've got to get up at 4:00 tomorrow."

Sakura smiled weakly. "And run suicides on no food."

Sasuke dug in his bag and pulled something out. He tossed two over to her.

"Here. Eat that before we leave the dorm tomorrow morning."

Sakura read the label. "A PowerBar?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Every single guy on the team will be doing the same thing. You wanna run on an empty stomach, be my guest."

Sakura laid the PowerBars on her nightstand.

"Thanks."

Sasuke looked up at her. His eyes were hard.

"Don't take this as a friendly gesture, Hayaro. I don't like you. I've warned you: stay out of my game."

"Only if you stay out of mine," Sakura retorted.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. There was a second meaning in his roommate's words, in his own, too. It was more than a pledge to not interfere in the other's basketball game, it was a pledge to stay out of each other's business. He nodded.

"Agreed."

Sakura understood perfectly. Sasuke didn't just want her out of the way on the court, he wanted her to stop investigating his private life. In the same way, Sasuke was not going to be looking her up anytime soon, either. Both the roommates had secrets each was loath to share with the other. Both of them had had their doubts about the person across the room, and both had tried to draw conclusions about the other. But that was all said and done, now.

Their secrets were safe.

**Training Camp**

Sakura was soaked with sweat, feeling her shirt stick to her back. She wiped her face with her sleeve and kept the ball going. Her defender watched her nervously – Sakura had proved in the last hour or so that she was as good a point guard as Sasuke, when she was on form.

Itachi had been mixing the groups together, trying different combinations of teamwork. Sakura's current team was comprised of Shikamaru, Neji, a junior guard from a different building named Tsume, and Shino.

Sakura grinned wolfishly as her defender tried to take up a good position. She could tell from a glance that he was doing it all wrong – he'd left the space down the sideline wide open. Sakura drove the ball down into the opening, only to find someone else was already there.

Sasuke, too, was on form, the light of anger and determination burning in his dark eyes. He blocked Sakura's path, forcing her to redouble the way she had come. Sasuke nodded to the old defender, who picked her up again. Sakura's eyes narrowed as she analyzed the defense Sasuke was running.

Sasuke had a triangle-and-two going, with his posts and center guarding the lane. He and the other guard were keeping Sakura from getting close enough to shoot three-pointers. Sakura smiled and swept some of the brown hair of the wig out of her eyes. She knew just how to break this.

Sakura dribbled forward, drawing Sasuke and the other guard tighter as they tried to block her shot. She reached around her man and passed the ball one-handed to Neji. Now the ball was inside the three-point line, but not close enough for a sure basket.

Neji worked the triangle, passing the ball to Shikamaru, who drove down under the basket along the end line. He passed it to Shino, who calmly stared down the three zone defenders before returning the ball to Shikamaru.

"Zone!" Sasuke called hoarsely. He and the other guard backed down, forming a square with one defender in the center of the lane. Sakura saw her chance.

"Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru had seen it, too. He snapped the ball to Sakura, who took it and went up for a jump shot. Her wrist snapped perfectly, perfect backspin, arc…

The whole team watched as it sank through the hoop. All net.

Sakura allowed herself a moment of triumph at the look on Sasuke's face before retreating with her team down to the other end of the court. Sasuke was on offense, now. Sakura motioned behind her to Neji, signaling with two fingers. Man-on-man was their best option. Neji nodded and spread the word behind him.

Sakura herself picked Sasuke up as he brought the ball downcourt, trying to pin him in the corner, next to the half-court line. Sasuke knew what she was doing, he raised the ball over his head and passed swiftly to the other guard. Sakura dogged Sasuke's footsteps as he sought to regain the ball for a 3-point shot. Every time he motioned for the ball, Sakura was there, in his way, in his face, blocking his angle. He was getting annoyed, she could tell that easily.

The other guard got a pick and dribbled straight for the basket. Two points. That made the score 15–12, Sakura's team's favor. Itachi blew the whistle.

"Alright, Team A, you guys can get some water. Team B – on the line."

Sasuke got on the line without complaining, but the others went reluctantly. Itachi's punishments for failure were harsh: 100 push-ups, twenty laps, suicides. Sakura had been lucky. She was one of the few in the group who had not lost something. Come to think of it, it was rather odd – almost every drill, she and Sasuke had been pitted against each other. And every single time, Sasuke had lost. It was like Itachi was purposefully making sure he could not win…

_No, that's just stupid, _Sakura told herself. _They're brothers, there's GOT to be some sort of…mutual affection, right?  
_  
Then she caught a glimpse of Sasuke's face as he crossed the end line, contorted with hatred. Itachi's face was calm, but his eyes spoke volumes.

_Then again, maybe not._

To avoid being trapped in the same room with an irate Sasuke after training, Sakura excused herself to go check her email in the computer lab. She had expected to find nothing there. However, there was:

From: Haruno86

To: PinkPointGuard

Re: Urgent

_Dearest, something has come up. I wouldn't bother you with it normally, but it may have an effect on your immediate future. It pains me to say this, but I may have to withdraw you and Damien from Firestone Academy.  
_  
"Withdraw?" Sakura gasped, taking in a sharp breath. "Why, Mum?" She continued reading.

_As you know, ever since your father passed away, we have had to pinch to make ends meet. It was quite a change, going from that huge house to our apartment here. I won't hide it from you, Sakura, we lost a lot of money to the courts and the medical bills. Your father had made millions; in a month, it was virtually gone. I was left in debt, with no husband and two children. The problem is, I still haven't paid off all the debt._

The deficit I owe now comes in the shape of several thousand dollars, not too much, but enough. If you and Damien were home, I could pay it off immediately without a worry. But as it is, even with your discount, my creditor is getting impatient. I'm doing my best, dear heart, but if I don't get enough by the end of the month, you and Damien both will have to leave Firestone.

I'm sorry, dearest. I really am. But some things can't be helped. 

Love, Mum.

Sakura fell back in her seat, eyes dazed. This was it. She would have to leave Firestone, leave her friends, leave the team, right after she'd settled in! A tear threatened to roll down her cheek, but she blinked it away. Her mother had mentioned that there was still a chance that they could stay. But Sakura knew that that chance was probably very slim, indeed.

It was true, Sakura had once lived in upscale Konoha, in a million-dollar home. Saki Haruno had raked in the money when he was at the height of his game. But his retirement, his illness, and his death had taken their toll on the fortune he had made.

Sakura had thought that she was finally completing the dream that Haruno Saki had never lived to see. And now, it was all crashing down around her ears.

**OH, NOOO!! Sakura might have to leave FIRESTONE, and she hasn't even played her first game yet! What will the team say? What will SASUKE say?! Coming up next on **_**Alley Oop!**_

**Oh, yeah – by the way, **_**King of Sand **_**AND **_**King of Fire**_** both exist…written by yours truly! They are also (this is funny) NARUTO FANFICTIONS! Cross-referenced my own work, woohoo! If you think that you'd read it, REVIEW and let me know. If I get upwards of ten people who would be interested in **_**King of Sand**_** (hint hint: KAZEKAGE), then I'll post it, too. Woohoo! LOVE YOUSE!**

**-Rhulain**


	10. Week 3

_**Recap:** Sakura read Sasuke's copy of the popular novel 'King of Sand' and found some...interesting notes in the margins. Most of them dwelt on the fact that there was "no hope" in the "real-life story". Confused by Sasuke's cryptic notes, Sakura left 'King of Sand' behind._

After an excellent dinner at Fujiwara's (during which Sakura's friends see her in her boy's disguise), Sakura returns to campus and checks her email. Bad news: her mother may have to withdraw her and Damien from Firestone to pay off a debt. Their first pre-season game is Friday! What will Sakura do?!  
  
-----------------------------------

"Sakumo, what's wrong?" Naruto asked. The team was sitting together at the table, talking, laughing, and eating, but Sakumo had hardly touched a bite. He tapped his fork on the plate nervously.

"Um…"

"Sakumo, honestly, pull yourself together," Kiba said, leaning in. "Our first game's this Friday! You gotta be ready!"

"That's just it," Sakumo said, taking a deep breath. "I might not be playing in Friday's game."

The boys looked thunderstruck.

"What?!" Neji gasped.

"No!" Shikamaru cried.

"Why not?" Shino asked. Sakura gulped, then decided it was better to tell the truth than to make up some excuse.

"My mom has to pay off a debt," she said quietly. "She can't do it if she has to pay our tuition as well, too. It's just gotta be done. I'm sorry."

There was silence around the table.

"Well," Sakura said, trying to sound cheerful as she stood up with her tray, "I'd best be going." She felt awkward as she left the table, followed by the gaze of half a dozen stunned guys.

"Dude," Naruto said, watching the skinny back of Sakumo as he wandered from the hall, "we're finished."

"Sakumo's amazing," Kiba agreed. "We can't afford to let someone like Leaf High get him!"

Neji stood up grimly. "I'm going to tell the captain about this. Who knows, maybe we can do something to help?"

Shino shook his head. "Come on, Neji, this is a personal affair. A debt. The Hayaros aren't going to appreciate our interference. Just stay out of it."

"Still, Sasuke should know." And Neji was gone.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What do you mean, the position's mine?"

Sasuke stood up from his desk, looking at his dissection partner. Sakumo looked uncomfortable.

"Mr. Uchiha, unless the pig has suddenly come to life and is preparing to dissect YOU, you will remain in your seat," Orochimaru said lazily. Sasuke sat back down, looking chagrined, his jaw clenched.

"I…long story, but I can't stay here at Firestone much longer. All that matters is that I'm leaving the team. You're the captain, you can tell Coach. I…I won't be playing point guard anymore," Sakura said miserably.

Sasuke still looked as though a wet glove had struck him as they left the classroom.

"Did you know about this?" he asked Neji, who was walking next to him. Neji nodded.

"I tried to find you before bell, but you were gone. I'm sorry, man. I'll miss Sakumo, too."

"Why is he leaving?" Sasuke asked, now curious. Neji shrugged.

"His mom can't pay off a debt or something, and his dad's deceased. Financial trouble. Sakumo said he appreciated our support." Neji looked at his watch and yelped. "Yikes! We'll be late for Lit!"

Sasuke followed at his usual pace, lost in thought. Who knew what thoughts were passing behind those dark eyes? 

**Wednesday Morning**

"Here, mail this to your mom," Sasuke said, handing Sakura an envelope. She frowned at it quizzically.

"What's this?"

Sasuke turned away as she opened it and pulled out a white slip of paper. Her eyes nearly came out of her head.

"Oh my gosh…Sasuke!"

Sasuke spun around, a convincing look of carelessness on his face.

"What?"

Sakura's hands were shaking as she stared at the four-digit figure scribbled in the little box of the check.

"I…I can't take this!" she protested. She held it out to him. Sasuke folded her fist over it. His dark eyes were serious.

"Look, you made it on the team," he said calmly. "We're not gonna just let you off now. Especially not to those Leaf High or Suna guys." Sasuke's eyes pierced Sakura's jade ones, going straight through the lenses of the fake glasses as if they weren't even there.

"You have talent," he said simply. Then he nodded at the check. "There's a lot more where that came from. A LOT more. It doesn't even make a dent in my assets, take it."

Sakura's lip trembled as she pulled the check back in.

"Thank you," she whispered. Sasuke shrugged, looking awkward.

"I know what it's like to lose a father," he said quietly. "That should be more than enough. Let me know if it isn't."

Sakura walked away from the scene trying to control her mixed emotions. Joy, happiness, gratitude, and sorrow were mingling in her mind. But suddenly curiosity reared its head and asked:

_How does Sasuke know what it's like to lose a father?_

Sakura couldn't explain it, but, in that moment, she felt a closer kinship with her teammate and roommate than ever before. 

**Friday: ** ** Preseason Game- Firestone Academy**** vs. Leaf High**

"Wow, check out the cheerleaders they brought this time!" Naruto said, wolf-whistling as he laid his bag on the bench. Sakura, in her uniform beside him, looked at him curiously.

"They had really skinny, freckly ones last year," Kiba said, coming up to them with water, which he handed out. "These ones are much better."

Sakura looked up into the stands behind Leaf High. She wasn't sure, but she thought she could make out a familiar mop of blond hair bobbing in the crowd. Behind the gold-and-blue clad Firestone team, however, a solid mass of cheering boys urged their team onto the court.

"Yeah, Firestone!"

"Phoenixes for the States!"

Sakura grinned, despite herself. Then Itachi called the team over.

"This may not be going on the records, but I am holding you to the same standards as a normal game," he said calmly. "You will not lose the pre-seasons. Uchiha Sasuke, Hayaro Sakumo, Hyuuga Neji, Uzumaki Naruto, and Inuzuka Kiba, you are the starting five. Everyone else, on the bench!"

The design in the center of Firestone's polished hardwood gym floor was that of a rising phoenix trailing smoke, clutching a flaming basketball in its claws. The background was of blue, the caption 'Firestone Phoenixes' in gold lettering. Neji entered the circle against Leaf High's equally intimidating center. The ref nodded at Sasuke and the opposing captain.

"Ready?"

Sasuke gave a curt nod. The other captain copied him. With a whistle burst and a short throw, the ball was in the air.

Sakura caught the ball that Neji tipped to her and pivoted, driving for the basket. She had been on the side of the circle closest to the net Leaf High was defending, and there was no one in her way.

ThunkthunkthunkswishBEEEEEEEEP!

A roar went up from Firestone and groans from the Leaf High end. The Lions and Phoenixes redoubled, the Phoenixes waiting for Leaf's offense. Naruto gave Sakura a swift high five.

"Hot stuff, Sakumo!" he said, winking. Sakura grinned.

The Lions' point guard brought the ball downcourt, and Sakura stepped up to meet him. He saw her coming, faked left, and passed right. It was a flawless defense, almost impossible to predict. Sakura reached out helplessly, trying to block the ball that was traveling to an open guard, trying to stop the Lions from getting three points…

Then a black blur snatched the ball from thin air and drove upcourt. No one could catch Sasuke when he was in his element. The scoreboard blared: 4-0.

Eventually, the Lions shot an excellent 3-pointer, making the score 4-3. This time, Sakura passed the ball to Sasuke from out of bounds and jogged past him down to offense. Sasuke was almost teasing his defender, drawing him out and pulling him back. Sakura's defender noticed his teammate in trouble and went to help. With a smooth push, he passed to Sakura. Open as she was, Sakura had little trouble putting in an all-net 3-pointer. 7-3.

Sakura and Sasuke were an almost unstoppable duo of guards. Leaf High's men were flabbergasted as the ball seemed to disappear from the brown-haired boy's hands, only to reappear in those of the raven-haired one. In the end, Firestone won, 53-15.

Sakura emerged from the little janitor's closet where she had taken to changing feeling immensely euphoric. Nothing could stop her now, nothing. She rode home with her triumphant teammates on the bus, laughing, shouting, and joking. When she reached her townhouse home, Sakura collapsed gratefully into bed, thankful that it was the weekend.

"Sakura! Wake up, hon!" her mom called up the stairs after what seemed to be only a minute. "Your shift at Fujiwara's starts in fifteen minutes!"

Grumbling, Sakura rolled out of bed and dug out the Fujiwara's uniform. After running a brush through her normal pink hair and brushing her teeth, she grabbed a purse and thundered down the stairs to head for her weekend job.

After Sakura had sent her mother the "anonymous" check, Mrs. Haruno had decided that it would be good for Sakura to get a job. Since all her friends already worked there (and she herself had worked there before attending Firestone), Fujiwara's was the obvious choice. Sakura had gotten a Saturday shift from noon to six. She already knew everything to waiting on tables, it was familiar and easy.

With Ino, Tenten, and Hinata there, the job at Fujiwara's was only lively and fun. It was nearing the end of their shift when the door opened and three boys came in.

"Sakura! Table for three in your section!" the hostess called into the kitchen. Sakura groaned. She and Tenten had just been about to play rock, paper, and scissors for the last slice of Italian cream cake.

"I'll save it for when you get back," Tenten said. Sakura shook her head as she walked away.

"Nah, that's OK, Tenten-chan. You enjoy it."

"I'll save you a bite!" Tenten called as the door swung shut behind the pink-haired girl.

Sakura strode over to the new table and whipped out a pad.

"Good evening, gentlemen, and welcome to Fujiwara's. Can we start with something to drink?"

Sakura lowered her pad and stared down at the occupants of the booth. Three familiar faces stared back at her.

"Oh my gosh, dattebayo!" Naruto cried, excitement lighting up his face, "you're SAKUMO'S SISTER!!"

Neji nodded in recognition. "Thought I'd seen you somewhere before."

"You work here?" Shikamaru asked. Sakura's jaw almost dropped.

"Neji? Naruto? Shikamaru?"

"How do you know our names already?!" Naruto whined. Neji looked suspicious.

"Oh," Sakura blushed, trying to cover her blunder, "Sakumo-kun showed me pictures of you all." She smiled her charming smile. It melted the hearts of all three of the boys instantly.

"Root beer," Neji said, turning back to his menu.

"Water, please," Shikamaru said lazily.

"Your eyes…" Naruto moaned softly. Sakura eyed him nervously.

"He'll have the same as me," Neji said. Without taking his eyes off the menu, he picked up a second one and knocked Naruto over the head with it.

"OUCH, dattebayo!"

"When does your shift end?" Neji asked as Sakura returned with their meals. She frowned.

"Ten minutes, why?"

"We're walking you home," Neji said firmly. "It's not safe on these streets after dark."

"Three boys to protect just me?" Sakura asked nervously. "I'm not sure…"

"I just talked to Hinata," Neji said, correcting her. "She, Tenten, and Ino all need escorts home. I'm taking Tenten and Hinata, Shikamaru's taking Ino-"

"Which leaves you with me, dattebayo!" Naruto cried. Sakura grimaced. Of all people, Naruto was the most likely to accidentally blunder into her secret.

"Um, no, that's OK…"

"I insist, Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried, grabbing her arm. He had learned her name from her name tag and now insisted on calling her 'Sakura-chan'.

Sakura gave in. There was nothing she could do about it.

Six o'clock came, and Neji, Hinata, and Tenten headed for the Hyuuga house, followed by Shikamaru slouching along with Ino. Sakura said goodbye to her friends and set off in the opposite direction for her home. Naruto followed.

"So how's Sakumo?" he asked when they were out of earshot from the others.

"He's…fine," Sakura said, trying to keep pace with her own lie. "He's been messing with a ball ever since he got home."

"Do ya think he'd play a round with me?" Naruto asked excitedly. Sakura shook her head.

"Nah, he had to work today, too. He's pretty tired," she said defensively. Naruto shrugged and put his hands in his pockets.

"OK."

They went on for a bit in silence. Then they stopped to wait for the crossing signal, and Naruto had another question.

"I didn't see you at the game last night. Were you guys there?"

Here was another hurdle Sakura hadn't thought of.

"Um, I was with friends," she invented wildly. "Mom had to work overtime, and Damien was already there. Sakumo brings Damien home after school on Fridays, so he got to watch the game."

"How's Damien enjoying Firestone?" Naruto asked kindly. Sakura smiled as they crossed the street.

"He loves it. I miss my brothers when they're gone, but I know they're having fun."

"Sakumo's sure made a lot of friends," Naruto said absently as they continued down the block. "Has he told you about his roommate?"

"Um, no…"

Naruto laughed. "Poor guy, he's stuck rooming with a dude named Sasuke Uchiha. He's such a stuck-up prig – Uchiha, of course, not your brother."

"Sakumo hadn't told me much about his roommate," Sakura said, trying to explain why she knew who Naruto was and not Sasuke.

"He wouldn't. Sasuke's the kind who's cold and self-absorbed. You don't mess with him if you can help it," Naruto said grimly. The area was beginning to turn familiar. Sakura knew now that they were within ten blocks of her house. Another thought struck her.

_If we let Naruto take us up to the door, he'll insist on seeing Sakumo,_ her inner said. _And if we refuse, he'll know something's up._

And if he knows exactly which house is ours, he might show up on the weekends and discover our secret! Sakura replied.

_What are we gonna do?_

"Um, I can find my way home from here. Thank you so much for taking me!" Sakura said, coming to a stop on the corner. Naruto halted beside her and frowned.

"Are you sure?"

Sakura looked up at him. She leaned against the wall, feeling tired already.

"Yeah, I'm positive." She smiled reassuringly. "I know most of the people around here, and they know me. No mugger's gonna make off with me, honest."

Naruto looked as though a thought was bothering him. Sakura's brow furrowed as she looked at him.

"What?"

"Do you think…well, maybe…would Sakumo be upset if I, well…liked you?" Naruto blurted out. The question stunned Sakura, but she kept her cool.

"Um…he's an understanding person, Naruto. If we did end up going out on a date, I'm sure he wouldn't mind. But this is all hypothetical, right, Naruto?" Sakura asked nervously. Naruto took a step closer to her. Sakura flinched as his hand reached out for her shoulder. And then he was in front of her.

"I really, really like you, Sakura-chan…"

His breath was way too close, hot like a furnace on her face. Sakura averted her lips so that he grazed her cheek instead. Naruto's surprise that he had missed her lips was evident in the way he released her shoulder. Sakura slipped past him and darted down the block, heading for home.

"Thanks for walking me!" she called over her shoulder.

"Wait! SAKURA!"

But she was gone, disappeared around the corner.

Sakura slid to a halt on the steps leading to her front door, panting heavily. A dog barked somewhere in this townhouse development. But her mind was churning furiously.

_OH MY GOSH! Did Naruto just try to KISS us?!?!_

Good thing we avoided that, we were saving our first one…

For Sasuke? Naruto almost beat him to it. And besides, you know very well that Sasuke will almost never see you without your disguise on, Inner Sakura said miserably. _And even if he did, who's to say that he'll like you as quick as Naruto did?_

Truth or Dare, Sakura defended herself. _He said he liked me in Truth or Dare._

That was a while ago, Inner Sakura reminded her. _His thoughts may have changed since then._

Whoa, Sakura, she checked herself _One of your teammates tried to kiss you, and now you're fantasizing about kissing the other one! GET A GRIP!  
_  
Sakura struggled up the stairs to her townhouse, wishing with all her might that a real brown-haired boy with glasses and basketball talent would open the door for her. It would certainly make things easier if there was a REAL Sakumo, she thought.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**OMG! Naruto just tried to kiss Sakura, who's posing as his teammate Sakumo, and she really loves Sasuke, who's Sakura's roommate, who also confessed that he might kiss Sakura if he ran across her… **

**Geez, life is complicated! Alright, the billion dollar question: **

**WHO WOULD BE SAKURA IN THIS FIC IF THEY GOT A CHANCE? **

**I would, Sasuke's on the other end… huggles self **

**Yosh! More of Alley Oop to come…soon! Oh, yeah – R&R, new review quota is 10, not so high, is it? So comment if you wanna read more! **

**-Rhulain **


	11. DISCOVERED!

**_Recap:_**_ Sasuke found out about Sakura's financial troubles and helped pay off her debt so she could remain at Firestone. His excuses were: "there's a lot more where that came from" and "I know what it's like to lose a father". So, the big question: HOW DOES SASUKE KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LOSE A FATHER?!?!_

The pre-season got off to a great start, Sakura and Sasuke leading the team to a huge victory. On the weekend, Sakura took a shift at Fujiwara's and ended up being walked home by Naruto in her real form! But that's not all - NARUTO TRIED TO KISS HER!!

So now, the pre-season is finished and the real season begun. Sakura's disguise has held up, but it seems that Sasuke is getting ever closer to breaking it down. He's also breaking her heart, too...

** Several Weeks Later **

The year flew by quickly. Sakura kept her weekend job at Fujiwara's and often saw Neji, Naruto, Kiba, Shikamaru, and Shino in the joint. Sometimes they would walk her home, sometimes her mother would come pick her up, but she never walked home alone with Naruto again.

Basketball season was well under way, Firestone having proved themselves almost unbeatable during the pre-season games. Now they were head-long into the real season, playing for the chance to go to the City Finals. So far, they had played a total of six games and won each and every one. Firestone had only one problem with their dream team: the point guard. Or rather, guards.

Sakura and Sasuke had both proved themselves to be such great point guards in the pre-season that Itachi was switching them off in the position. For three games, Sakura had played point guard; for the other three, Sasuke had brought the ball downcourt. Each had given a flawless performance, and their numbers were so close that Itachi was hard-pressed to choose one of the other to play the permanent position. For now, he was trying them both out in it, judging them in each game. And for this reason, tensions between the roommates had heightened.

It was the Friday practice after their sixth game, in which Sasuke had broken all records to put twenty-three three-pointers into the net. Itachi had been duly impressed, and now Sakura was working her heart out to match Sasuke's feat.

They were scrimmaging: Team 1 against Team 2. Sakura wiped the sweat out of her eyes and waited on the three-point line for Sasuke to bring down the ball. She dodged her defender and received a pass. The clock was running down, they had no time left. Sakura blinked and looked at the net. She would have to shoot this three-pointer.

She leapt, her defender leapt with her, and she snapped the ball. It flew through the air as Itachi's stopwatch went off, signaling the end of the scrimmage period. Everyone froze as her shot flew through the air. Sakura groaned. The ball didn't have enough height.

Sure enough, the ball hit the rim, bounced upward, and flew away from the net. Sasuke caught it.

"What was that?!" he yelled, all protocol forgotten. "We needed that three-pointer!"

Sakura was fuming, too.

"You think I don't know?!" she snarled, storming up to him. "I missed, that's all! You've missed plenty of times, too!"

"A POINT GUARD SHOULD NEVER MISS A SHOT!" Sasuke roared.

"AND A POINT GUARD SHOULD KNOW BETTER THAN TO PASS IT TO THE OFF GUARD IF HE THINKS THAT THEY WON'T MAKE THE SHOT!" Sakura screamed. Itachi blew his whistle.

"Enough! Hayaro, Uchiha, on the line! NOW!"

Glaring daggers, Sasuke and Sakura got on the line, breathing hard. Itachi looked stern.

"I won't have you fighting on my team. Now get along, or I will personally make sure that neither of you becomes point guard!"

He blew the whistle. Sasuke and Sakura took off on their suicide, matching each other stride for stride.

"You'll NEVER be a good shot," Sasuke panted as they crossed the end line. His black eyes shot nothing but hatred at Sakura. "You couldn't make that shot to save your life."

Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it. Absolutely furious, she spun on her heel and stormed off.

** Later that Night  
**  
Sasuke was driving through Konoha, heading for home. He pounded the wheel in frustration as the engine groaned. He had had his doubts about going to this basketball court near Fujiwara's with the guys, and this was one of them. Cursing Itachi for taking the nicer car in his mind, Sasuke pulled over into a vacant lot to check his engine.

Tonight, Sasuke had gone to play basketball with the team at Fujiwara's for the first time. He lived in upscale Konoha, so it was a relatively long drive to get there. Itachi had taken the Lexus out for a spin on purpose, so Sasuke was forced to use the clunky old machine that was left in the garage. Now the engine was whining.

As Sasuke climbed out of the car, he heard the sounds of a basketball hitting cement. It reminded him of the game he had just played, his white shirt sticking to him. Thanking his lucky stars that Sakumo hadn't been at the court, Sasuke turned to open the hood when he turned back, struck by what he had seen.

There was a girl with pink hair playing basketball in the vacant lot he had pulled over in.

Interested, Sasuke let the hood shut slowly with a quiet click. The girl was good: she could dribble perfectly, back and forth, never missing a beat. The streetlamps gave Sasuke a good view of just how pink her hair was. It was short and caught back with a headband.

The girl turned, banked, and shot a perfect jump shot from where a three-point line would be on a court. Sasuke applauded the shot in his head. That backspin and arc was perfect. He felt like he had seen it somewhere before. Then something came across the chilly night air at him. The girl was muttering in time to the rhythm of her ball.

"Call me a poor shot, eh?" She flicked the ball up. All net. "BAM, Sasuke! I'll show you," she growled through gritted teeth.

Sakura was wickedly furious. Sasuke had called her a bad shot, had he? Well, she would shoot all night, just to prove him wrong. She had shed the hoodie she had worn down here and was now wearing only a Fire Ninja T-shirt and jeans. She brought her hands upright: another perfect shot.

" 'You couldn't make that shot to save your life'," She mimicked. "I'll KILL you for that one!"

The chains that formed the net clinked as her ball slid through them.

The gears in Sasuke's head whirled. This girl had pink hair. She was at his shoulder, she knew his name, and she played basketball exceptionally well…

Then the girl shot from the left side of the three-point arc. She swore audibly as the ball bounced off the rim and upwards. And the pieces fell into place.

"YOU!"

Sakura turned in time to get a glimpse of her worst nightmare: Sasuke was striding across the lot, flames dancing in his eyes. Breathless with fright, she backed away until she felt the brick wall of an apartment building at her back. Sasuke stood over her, his anger spilling from every crevice of his being. Sakura tried to slip away as she had done with Naruto, but Sasuke was too quick for her. Two hands punched the wall on either side of her head, almost touching her shoulders. Sakura was trapped.

"So," Sasuke breathed, looking down at the cowering pink-haired girl in front of him. "Sakumo Hayaro, the all-star basketball player, the famed point guard, the excellent shot…is a GIRL."

His left hand came off the wall and headed for his pocket, where his cell phone lay.

"Maybe the guys should know about this…"

Sakura caught his hand. "NO!"

Her jade eyes staring pleadingly into his. "Please, if they find out…I'll be expelled, and disgraced!"

In fury, Sasuke grabbed her arm and flung her away from him. Stumbling with the force of his push, Sakura reeled across the ground and fell over the hood of his car. Quick as a flash, Sasuke had flipped her over. His right hand pinned her left to the hood of the car, while his other hand gripped her right wrist, which was pushed up in an effort to defend herself. He stood over her, blazing fury. Sakura felt tears spring to her eyes.

"Please…no…"

Sasuke's anger had gotten the better of him. Now, as he stared down at the helpless, cowering girl he had pinned, the flames began to die down. Slowly the fervor left his black eyes, quelled by depths of jade.

Sakura gasped as Sasuke pushed himself off, allowing her to get up.

"Get up," he said. Sakura did so warily, feeling something roll down her cheek. She couldn't see Sasuke's face: his black hair obscured the light from reaching it.

"I won't reveal your secret…yet."

"Oh, SASUKE!"

Sasuke blocked her from grabbing him in a hug, his arms on her shoulders, pushing her back. His eyes affixed hers again.

"Whether I like it or not, you have to stay on the team. We've got the City Finals coming up, and we can't afford to lose." He let go of the girl before him again. "So I guess what I'm saying is…you're too good to lose." Sasuke couldn't believe he was saying this. "Whether I like it or not…we, the team, need you."

Sakura broke down into tears.

"Thank you…" she sobbed. Sasuke ignored her, still amazed that his roommate/teammate was a girl.

_This explains everything,_ his inner said_. Like those pink hairs and his size._

It doesn't explain his…her talent, though, Sasuke reminded himself. _How did she get to be so good?_

"You, what's your name?"

The question came so abruptly from her silent roommate that Sakura stopped crying.

"What?" she asked, gulping and wiping away her tears. Sasuke glared at her.

"Your name can't very well be Sakumo Hayaro, you're not a guy. So what's your name?"

"S-Sakura," Sakura hiccupped, "Sakura Haruno."

This time it was Sasuke's turn to reel back in shock.

"Did you say 'Haruno'?!"

Sakura nodded miserably, lost in a fresh avalanche of tears. Sasuke nearly buckled at the knees.

_She's Saki Haruno's daughter. THE Saki Haruno!_

I don't believe it! I've been playing with my idol's daughter for half a year! I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!

Shocked into silence, Sasuke listened for a moment. The distant hum of the city rang in his ears, punctured by a few of Sakura's soft sobs. A dog barked somewhere in this melee of townhouses and apartments. The moonlight mingled with the streetlights to form a soft glow that fell on the vacant lot and old, battered hoops. A breath of chill wind stirred the leaves that lay scattered on the old chalked-up court. Sasuke flipped his coat collar up, getting cold.

"I'll keep your secret…for now," he assured Sakura. Sasuke skirted her and climbed into his car, too dazed to remember that he had pulled over to check the engine. Miraculously, it started with a grumble, and Sasuke pulled away from the scene, leaving Sakura alone with her wounds.

_He knows…he knows…and I never wanted him to find out this way. _

_**BAM! People have been asking me when this wuz gonna happen, so here ya go! Hope it lived up to your expectations...** _

_**I'll be a little meaner this time, though I've met some ppl who demand a hundred (?!?!?!?), so I'll be nice and ask for** _

_**20** _

_**reviews for an update. Shouldn't be hard, this is one of the worst places I could stop. Predictions and OMGs welcome:)) ** _

_**Rhulain** _


	12. Sasuke's Secret

**_Recap:_**_ Sakumo and Sasuke, who have been in tight competition for the point guard spot, finally broke in anger. Later that night, Sasuke was driving through Konoha when he ran across Sakura and realized SHE was "Sakumo Hayaro"! OH NO! Sakura's secret is out! What will our heroine do as she returns to school?_

**Monday  
**  
Sakura returned to Firestone feeling worse than ever. She had considered pleading sick and skipping a week, but it was too much make-up work to consider. Besides, she didn't want to miss basketball.

After check-in, Sakura walked into her dorm feeling worse than ever. She was surprised when Sasuke looked up from his book and said, in a pleasantly civil tone:

"Good morning."

"G-good morning," Sakura stuttered back, a little put off. Sasuke looked her over.

"It is rather good, by the way. Your disguise. I mean, looking at you, I'd never guess."

And he returned to his book.

Shocked that Sasuke had just held a decent conversation with her, Sakura walked over to her bed and started unpacking for the week. Sasuke gave up on his book and pulled his autographed basketball off its stand on his dresser, twirling it on his finger.

"Ready to go?"

Sakura glanced up. "Sure, I guess."

The rest of the week followed in the same mold. Sasuke was much more civil towards Sakura now that he knew her secret, and he was very careful not to give it away. Perhaps the biggest change occurred on the basketball court. The whole team, which had been braced for a huge fight between Sasuke and Sakumo, suddenly found that the roommates were on much better terms now.

This change also reflected itself on the court. More willing to work together now, Sakura and Sasuke led the way and Firestone won the City Finals.

"Way to go," Sakura said as they got back into their dorm after a late-night party. "You were awesome."

Sasuke gave her a tired grin.

"Thanks. You, too."

Sakura slipped into the bathroom to change while Sasuke waited outside. She put on her pajamas and then removed her brown, spiky wig, leaving it in the bathroom. Now that Sasuke knew her secret, Sakura could leave it off to sleep. It made getting to sleep much more comfortable.

Sakura emerged with her pink locks showing over a gray Fire Ninja shirt and shorts. Sasuke slid past her without a word and closed the door to change. While she waited for him to turn off the light, Sakura lay back on her bed and looked up at her Fire Ninja poster.

Saki Haruno still grinned triumphantly down from the picture, his red hair falling over his brown eyes. Sakura smiled back at him, then she kneeled up to touch his face.

"We won, Dad. We won the City championships. We're gonna go to Districts on Saturday and play against Suna, your old rivals. The Sand Gnats were nothing to the Fire Ninja; and we'll be Suna High just the same," Sakura assured him. Her fingertips stroked his hair, as though she wished she could brush it back from his face.

Sasuke emerged from the bathroom to find Sakura gazing dreamily at her poster. He gave a loud cough which broke the silence. Sakura looked around.

"Oh, sorry, Sasuke…should we go to bed, then?"

"Not if you don't want to," Sasuke replied. Sakura bounced down on her bed, sitting Indian style.

"We could talk about something, if you want to."

Sasuke flopped onto his own bed. "Hnn. Like how on earth you got into Firestone as a girl?"

Sakura glared. "I had to fulfill my dad's dream. He always wanted to see Damien go here!"

"Your father…" Sasuke muttered. He rolled over, propping his head up on one elbow, and looked at Sakura.

"Tell me about your father, Sakura."

"Well, um…" Sakura said, thinking. "What did you want to know about him?"

"Everything," Sasuke said, lying back, hands crossed behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. "What kind of person was he? His likes and dislikes? And did he teach you to play ball?"

"Well, Dad was always smiling and laughing," Sakura recalled. "He never missed a chance to play ball or teach me something new about it." She smiled fondly. "The first picture of me as a toddler is one where I'm sitting there on the floor at Christmas with a net around my neck, holding a huge basketball. That was my first lesson."

"What did he say when he found out you had pink hair?" Sasuke asked absently, looking over at her unnaturally colored locks. "I mean, you haven't dyed it or anything?"

Sakura shook her head. "We don't know, it's like a freak shade of red. My mom thought it was abnormal the first few years, but Dad loved it. He loved my name and how it fit, I guess. He was very…" she couldn't go on. It cut like a knife to think of her father's words now.

'You are essential to me, my little Sakura.'

_Why, Dad? If I was so essential to you, why did you die?_

A part of me died with you.

Sasuke sat up. Sakura had suddenly gone pale.

"Sakura? Are you alright?"

"I…"

A tear threatened to spill down Sakura's face. Sasuke looked uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked what I did."

"No, it's fine," Sakura said quietly. "I guess I still haven't gotten over his death, even now."

"No one can." Sasuke said it with such firmness that Sakura jumped. Sasuke was staring blankly at the foot of her bed as he continued.

"It hurts to lose your father. I still haven't-"

He broke off suddenly. After an uncomfortable and awkward moment, Sasuke and Sakura exchanged glances and rolled over into bed, Sasuke turning off the lamp. Neither of them wanted to discuss it anymore.

**LATE Wednesday Night **

"Aw, crap!" Sakura said, fumbling in her pocket frantically before the room door. "I don't have my key!"

Sasuke, who was also in his practice uniform, looked at her quizzically.

"What do you mean? It was on your dresser this morning…"

"I must have dropped it or something," Sakura said frantically, now patting herself down. "CRAP! What are we gonna do!?"

"Hold this."

Sasuke passed Sakura his backpack and stuck his hand in his own pocket. After moving his fingers around for a second or two the truth became horribly clear.

Sasuke didn't have his key, either.

"Dang!" Sasuke smacked his forehead. "I forgot, when I saw yours on the dresser, I left mine in the room. I was planning on staying back, so I thought you'd beat me here."

"So neither of us have a key?!" Sakura wailed. Sasuke nodded.

"Looks like it."

"I'd think YOU would always remember your key," Sakura grumbled. Sasuke gave her an evil glare.

"Hark who's talking, miss 'I'm a girl who always returns to her dorm early'."

Sakura slid to the floor of the hall.

"So NOW what do we do?"

Sasuke joined her. "Wait it out, I guess."

"We could call the caretaker," Sakura suggested. Sasuke sighed.

"Sakur- Sakumo, no caretaker in his right mind will be up at 11:30 at night to let two late kids coming back from extra practice into their dorm. He comes around at 6:00, though, to clean the halls, so we should be able to get in and change and shower. We just have to sleep out here."

"Great," Sakura mumbled. "Just great. Can't you break down the door or something?"

Sasuke scoffed. "Not unless you want to fork up the thousand it'll take to replace it?"

Sakura sighed.

"Ugh, so we're stuck sitting here all night?"

Sasuke was unzipping his gym bag. "Looks like it." He pulled out his uniform shirt and balled it up, sticking it between his head and the wall.

"Now go to sleep."

Sakura copied him, but instantly felt uncomfortable. Sasuke's eyes were closed and his body posture was indicating that he wanted to be left alone. Sakura sighed and did her best to go to sleep.

Sasuke jumped as something landed on his shoulder. Turning, he found himself staring at a mop of brown hair. Sakura was sleeping soundly, now propped on his shoulder. After looking Heavenward and asking for patience, Sasuke adjusted Sakura so that she would be a bit more comfortable. Then he jammed his eyes shut and tried to get some sleep.

"Um, excuse me, you sir?"

Sasuke came awake with a start. The caretaker was bending over him, looking concerned.

"Are you alright, sir?"

"We were just locked out of our room," Sasuke said, trying to keep his patience. His watch told him it was 6:00 in the morning, and the slight stirs coming from behind the doors told him that the other students were also stirring. "Do you think you could let us in so we can change and shower?"

The caretaker fumbled with his master ring of keys, finally unlocking their door. Sasuke stood up, but Sakura was still floundering around in sleep.

"Wha…wha? Jus' don' say I'm a girl…" she mumbled sleepily. Sasuke seized her arm and dragged her into the room.

"Good night! Or is it good morning?" He slammed the door in the face of the stunned janitor.

"Sakura, wake up!"

Sakura felt something wet slap her across the face. Sasuke was ready to hit her with the washcloth again, but she grabbed it and rubbed her face vigorously with it.

"OK, OK, I'm up!" she said hurriedly. Sasuke looked at her, his eyes full of concern.

"You OK?"

"Yeah, just tired," Sakura said, stretching and yawning. Sasuke indicated the open bathroom door.

"It's yours. I'll wait."

Sakura shot him a grateful glance before trotting off to freshen up the appearance of Sakumo Hayaro. 

** Friday Practice**

"Come on, let's move!" Itachi shouted. The gym was alive with all fifteen players, running, dribbling, passing, shooting. It was their last practice before the Districts tomorrow against Suna. It would be the largest game yet, and rumor had it it would even be televised.

Sakura wiped sweat away from under her wig and passed to Sasuke. He caught it deftly and performed a beautiful lay-up.

"Weave drill! On the end line!" Itachi cried. Sasuke, Sakura, and Neji formed three lines on the end line. The way the weave drill worked was simple. The person in the center, Neji, would start with the ball. Running and not dribbling, he would pass to Sakura and run behind her. She, in turn, would take the allotted one and a half steps before passing to Sasuke and sprinting behind him. He would pass to Neji, and so on and so forth. The no dribbling policy meant that each player could only set his feet down three times before he had to pass the ball, or he had traveled. It built teamwork, forcing the three players in the drill to trust each other and work together to get the ball downcourt. At the end, Neji shot the ball up for a quick two points.

Itachi kept them at practice for three hours this time, knowing that his team would not be going home until after the Saturday game. At the end, Sakura grabbed her things and left before the rest of the team, sprinting for the tiny janitor's closet she was accustomed to change in now. She changed swiftly in the dark, humming a little tune to herself. Districts were tomorrow, Sasuke was keeping her secret, and all was right with the world.

Sakura paused to make sure she had gotten everything in the dark of the closet and put her hand on the doorknob to let herself out. A sound in the hall stopped her. Breathing lightly, Sakura froze, listening.

Footsteps…someone was coming down the hall; no, two someones. Voices began to come through the door, two familiar voices. Sakura's blood ran cold as she heard her coach and her captain stop in the hall outside her door.

"Alright, this hall's deserted," she heard Sasuke say. "What do you want?"

She could picture Itachi's face in her mind's eye as he growled his next words. "You know."

"I've kept your secret long enough," Sasuke warned. Sakura had never heard him speak like that before: his voice was rough and threatening, but, at the same time, there was an edge of fear in it. Itachi spoke again.

"Aye. And if you give it away, the next time won't be an accident."

Sasuke gasped as if something huge, sharp, and heavy had struck him in the stomach.

"No…you wouldn't…" he gasped weakly. Itachi spoke over him.

"I would. I've warned you before, otoutou, don't mess with my business."

"It's mine, too!" Sakura heard Sasuke shout in desperation. There was a sound of muffled clothing, as if Itachi had stifled Sasuke with a jacket. His next words were so poisonous and lethal that Sakura felt as if they had slashed her lungs.

"I have told you many times, my foolish little brother, that the first time will be considered an accident. The second time may be on purpose. You are lucky, Sasuke, oh so lucky, that I consider you too weak to dispose of. Now get out of my sight!"

Sakura heard one set of footsteps retreat. Holding her breath, she waited until she heard the second set of steps fade away also. Only then did she dare let out the gasp of air she had been holding and step out of the stuffy closet.

_'The next time won't be an accident.'_

**'He wants something, wants it badly, and I'm the only one who can stop him!'**

'You are lucky that I consider you too weak to dispose of.'

**'I've kept your secret long enough…'**  
  
Sasuke and Itachi's voices rang through Sakura's head. She shook it, trying to clear her mind of the conversation she had just overheard. But the Uchiha's words would not go away.

_'A dream is only a dream if you are willing to sacrifice everything for it. Even your time with your parents – or perhaps your parents themselves.'_

**'The consequences of killing your own brother run deep. The Prince can't escape his past, even with his bodyguard at his side. In the end, fate leaves him and only him to continue ruling in misery.'  
**  
'This is the question I ask you: how long can you keep going before you crack? How far can I push you? I won't go easy, I promise you. How long are you willing to remain under my command before you disobey? How long will you subject yourself to my rule before you cannot take it any more?'  
  
Sasuke and Itachi yelled back and forth in Sakura's head, trading cryptic words and messages between them. Sakura clapped her hands to her head and stilled them.

_ENOUGH!_ Inner Sakura roared over the melee. _You promised not to get involved in this!_

Slowly, Sasuke and Itachi faded from Sakura's head. Shouldering her bag, she set off for her room, determined to get a good night's sleep for the District Finals tomorrow. 

**Sasuke and Sakura's Dorm  
**  
When Sakura reached the dorm, she was surprised to find that Sasuke had not yet returned. She changed into her pajamas and a white hoodie, left her wig in the bathroom, and settled down on her bed to wait. It wasn't long before the handle of the door turned and Sasuke came in. Sakura nearly fell off the bed.

"Sasuke, are you alright?!" she gasped. Sasuke was turning pale, his eyes dark bruises in his ghostly face. Sakura leapt up to assist him, but Sasuke held her off. His unfocused eyes turned on her. Sasuke reached behind him and locked the door.

"Sakura…"

"What is it?" Sakura could not disguise the worry in her voice. Sasuke stumbled as she led him to his bed. He looked as though he might be sick. Sakura helped him lie down.

"Don't tell me you're getting sick!" she said, feeling his forehead. It was cold and clammy. Sasuke's hand suddenly shot up and grabbed her wrist. He sat up using all his determination. Sakura gasped as Sasuke fell off the bed and onto his knees in front of her.

"Sakura…" he moaned. Sakura was now frightened and worried.

"Sasuke, what happened?!?"

He seemed to gain a little more control over himself as he heard the fear in her voice.

"I…I have to tell you something," he whispered hoarsely. Sakura tried to extricate herself from his grasp.

"Well, whatever it is, it can wait until morning," she said firmly. Sasuke pulled her down again, bringing her bent double over his kneeling form.

"No," he said. "This can't wait…I've been a fool, waited too long…"

Sakura fell heavily on her knees, unable to stay bent double like Sasuke was pulling her.

"OK, what is it?" she breathed. Sasuke took a deep breath and swallowed hard.

"My father's dead."

Sakura was puzzled.

"Yes, you told me."

"No, you don't understand," Sasuke insisted. His eyes were wide with terror. "My father's dead…and Itachi killed him."

**_WHAT?!?!?!_**

Sakura's head spun, her body felt weightless. She nearly lost her balance on her knees. Sasuke's hand on her shoulder gripped her tighter, cutting off the blood to her arm. Sakura listened in horror as the dreadful tale of the Uchiha unfolded.

"M-my family owns the ring of Uchiha Enterprises," Sasuke confessed. It looked as if every word was costing him a fragment of his soul. "Whoever stands f-first in sucession stands to win a huge fortune. And…and…" He looked as if he might be sick. "Itachi…Itachi wants it desperately."

"Well, who wouldn't want a huge amount of money?" Sakura interjected, trying to bring a bit of sense back into this tale. Sasuke shook her shoulder.

"You don't understand, he'll do anything," he babbled, eyes nearly rolling back into his head. "He'll KILL for that money!"

"So…so…he killed-?"

"Yes," Sasuke breathed. His knuckles were turning white where they clenched Sakura's shoulder. "Yes, he killed our father in front…in front of…right before my eyes. I was six. And then…and then…"

Sasuke closed his eyes, doing his best to contain his grief, anger, and mixed emotions.

"He arranged the evidence to make it seem as though I had done it."

"NO!" Sakura cried, forgetting everything in her shock and rage. "He WOULDN'T!"

Sasuke looked grim. "I was l-let off on charges of…of…" he took another deep breath. "Accidental manslaughter."

Sakura couldn't tear her eyes from his. They were brimming with pain, anger, hotness, and the irony of it all: he had been blamed for the accidental killing of his father while his older brother got away with murder.

"Itachi warned me never to tell anyone the truth, or else…or else…" Sasuke gulped, fear overwhelming his senses.

"He threatened me with matricide," he whimpered.

"Matricide?" Sakura was confused. "But you're not a woman, much less his mother."

"You don't understand!" Sasuke protested in desperation, his eyes wide with fear. "He'll kill my mother and make it seem like I did it on purpose this time!!"

The sickness and horror of it all smacked Sakura across the face. She had never felt such sympathy for her roommate before. Sasuke had been struck with the weight of a parent's death at an early age…and then been forced to bear the pain and secret in silence for ten years. She wanted nothing more than to hold him at that moment, but he wasn't finished with his tale.

"I know he'll do it eventually; it's only a matter of time before he kills her and has me locked up. Then there'll be no one between him and my father's fortune!"

Sasuke grabbed the front of Sakura's shirt, his eyes alight with desperation.

"I have to stop him!" he pleaded. "I can't let him get away with murder! I have to kill him first! He'll stop at nothing else!!"

And with that, Sasuke's head sank onto Sakura's shoulder as he shook with the spasms of pain and locked-away hatred. Sakura wrapped her arms around his back, holding him gently. But it was little comfort against the tide of the great storm that Sasuke had unleashed from his soul. He had spilled his innermost soul, and spilled it to her.

Sakura had never felt more confused in her life. So she sat there, holding Sasuke while he trembled. Sasuke did not shed a tear, nor did he make a sound. Instead, he sat there trembling in Sakura's arm's, shaking with the pain of a burden now released.

**O…M…G… I'll just leave you all here to sit in shocked silence. Hands up, how many people were expecting THIS?! Just out of curiosity… Or rather, how many ppl anticipated that Itachi had done something to Sasuke's family? I'm sure that was a common suspicion… **

**Now you see why remembering what Itachi said a few chapters back was so important? It all had double meaning! Had fun writing that! ;P Ciao for now! **

**-Rhulain **


	13. The Districts

_**Recap:**_ _Sasuke has just revealed his secret of ten years to Sakura. His father was murdered: Itachi committed the crime and then arranged the evidence to make it seem as though six-year old Sasuke had done it. Itachi warned Sasuke that if he ever told anyone, Itachi would murder their mother and make it seem like Sasuke did it on purpose. The whole reason Itachi is murdering his family is because he wants to be the sole heir to the immense fortune from the ring of Uchiha Enterprises._

Sakura's just spent a rather uncomfortable night on the floor holding a pain-racked Sasuke. What happens come morning?

_  
_  
**Sasuke and Sakura's Dorm**

Sakura awoke to find herself still kneeling on the floor, her head drooping and her arms lying limp in her lap. Sasuke lay at her feet, spread out like he had been knocked to the floor unconscious. Moving quietly, so as not to wake him, Sakura got up, grabbed her basketball uniform, and hurried into the bathroom.

Sakura got dressed while looking at herself in the mirror. Even then, she couldn't help but reflect on the time that Sasuke had punched a mirror because he thought he saw Itachi's face in it. Was it really true that Sasuke would have to kill Itachi to stop him from getting what he wanted?

_Sasuke may be cold, but he's not BLOODTHIRSTY,_ Inner Sakura said.

_True. But obviously Itachi needs to be stopped, and it appears the only way to do that is to kill him._

But if he told the authorities…

Itachi would kill his mother! Mrs. Uchiha is alive only because Sasuke is keeping a secret. If Itachi ever found out…  
  
Sakura watched her reflection make a slitting motion across the throat. Sighing deeply, Sakura pulled on her brown wig and left the bathroom.

Sasuke was now up, dressed and in his track jacket. As soon as he saw Sakura emerge, he approached her.

"Sakura."

Sakura shivered as Sasuke pinned her to the wall once again. But now, unlike last night, he was in his right mind. Sakura's heart leapt in an adrenaline rush as Sasuke bent to whisper in her ear.

"What I told you last night was for your ears only. You know the price if you speak."

Sakura gave a tiny nod to show that she understood. Sasuke pulled away, now speaking in a normal voice.

"Good! Now we have some District Finals to win."

Sakura smiled wide. "Let's go kick some Sand Gnat BUTT!"

"Wait a moment." Sasuke caught her arm as she was about to head out the door. Sakura sighed.

"What?"

"Your wig- it's not on straight," Sasuke said. He tucked the single strand of pink hair back under the wig. It was a gentle gesture, but it made Sakura's heart go aflutter as if butterflies had been set loose in it.

Sasuke noticed.

"You OK?"

"Yeah," Sakura said, trying to hide her pounding heart. "NOW can we go kick some Suna butt?"

**Firestone Bus**

"Hey, Sakumo, Sasuke, how are you guys?" Naruto asked as the two came up. Shikamaru was boarding the bus behind them. He sighed.

"Naruto, ask them that once we're on the bus. It's too cold and early out to be discussing that right now."

"Hnn. We're fine, dobe," Sasuke said.

"Ready to kick BUTT!" Sakura asked. Naruto grinned.

"Now you're talking, Sakumo!" He turned to Sasuke. "Hey, teme, why can't you be more like Sakumo?"

"'Cause I'm not like him, baka," Sasuke said calmly. "If my life was more like his, maybe I'd be bouncing off the walls like you two."

"You'd be cooler if you were more like Sakumo," Naruto protested. Sasuke shouldered past him, getting on the bus that would take them to the court.

"Whatever."

**Konoha Fire Ninja Basketball Stadium**

"Wow, it's HUGE!" Kiba cried, kneeling up on his seat as they approached the dome.

"Why are they holding the districts in the Fire Ninja Dome?" Sakura asked. Sasuke, who was across the aisle from her, shrugged.

"They don't want to give the advantage to either team, so they chose a place that neither team will have played at before: the Dome."

It was huge: once the Firestone bus pulled up, they all received credentials and IDs on a lanyard that said exactly who they were and why they were there. Shikamaru nudged Sakura as they got off the bus.

"See that? They're already here."

A mahogany and sand colored bus was parked a little ways away. A huge logo and mascot were painted on the side:

_Suna High Sand Gnats_

Sakura looked back at the gold and blue Firestone bus, which, in turn, was emblazoned with the phoenix and the caption

_Firestone High Phoenixes_

She clenched her fist.

**Fire Ninja Dome  
**  
The Phoenixes were led through the maze of back passageways until they reached the locker room where they would be changing. Sakura stared: the Firestone team had been given the home team's room. She entered with a sort of awe, as if stunned that she would be leaving her stuff in the place where her father had left his.

Sakura still remembered his number: the lucky '26' that meant Saki Haruno was on the court. She crossed over to where it was, only to run into another person who was also trying to get the spot.

"Um…"

Sakura stared up at Sasuke, who was staring back. Apparently she wasn't the only one who wanted to remember the legend.

Sasuke suddenly stepped away to locker 25, muttering something under his breath.

"You keep that one, it was your father's."

"No- it's just a number…if you want it, you can have it," Sakura argued. Sasuke looked as though he would brook no argument.

"Just take it." His eyes spoke volumes. "He'd be proud to see that you had it."

A tear almost came to Sakura's eye, but she brushed it away. A voice had just come across the roof of time.

'You are essential to me, my little Sakura.'

"Yeah, Dad," she murmured. "And I'm gonna play in your name! We're going to make the world remember the Harunos!"

She didn't notice, but, in the locker beside her, Sasuke had to hide a smile.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They stepped out of the tunnel into a haze of flashing light. Sakura had to hide her face momentarily. Neji, Itachi, and Sasuke, however, even though they were in the front, pushed through the screaming reporters and journalists and photographers and made their way to their bench.

A roar went up from a massive blue-and-gold mass sitting in the stands. Sakura stupidly thought it was a huge monster for a moment, and then she realized it was the Firestone High fans. However, on the opposite ends of the stands, a solid mahogany and sand hued crowd booed and hissed the Phoenixes onto the court.

"The Firestone High Phoenixes have so far remained largely undefeated," she heard the voice of the announcer rumble over the screaming fans. "Thanks to the power of their two incredible guards, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakumo Hayaro. But today, they are playing a team that has also been undefeated: The Suna High Sand Gnats. The Sand Gnats have Gaara no Subaku, Kankuro no Subaku, and Sasori Akatsuki on their side. This will be an unbelievable game to watch folks; and indeed, there are ten thousand screaming fans in this gym."

Sakura squinted up at the Phoenix supporters. Some were holding signs. She spotted a giggling group of girls holding various signs that read:

_We LOVE you, Sasuke!  
_  
But the boys, some of whom were Sakura's own classmates, were also holding signs. One of them read thus:

_Sakumo Hayaro PWNS!_

Sakura had to stifle a laugh at that one.

In no time at all, warm-ups were over, and Itachi had his final seconds before the game began to give them instruction. He looked at the high school boys surrounding him coldly.

"You know the starting lineup, and you know what's at stake. Do yourself justice."

The whistle blew, and Sasuke, Sakura, Neji, Naruto, and Kiba trotted out to face the Suna team.

Neji glared at Kankuro, who spat on the floor between them.

"How high can ya jump, Konoha dog?" he sneered. Neji stared him down coldly.

"Higher than you ever will, Suna!"

Sakura found herself standing next to a leering Sunese guard. He was shoving her to the side with his body. Blind with fury, Sakura shoved back, and the two were braced against each other, waiting for the whistle.

"Give up, Uchiha," Gaara breathed, waiting for the jump. "You'll never beat me."

"Maybe I can't, but I'm sure Sakumo and I can!" Sasuke said harshly.

"Really now," Gaara said, "and what's inspired this teamwork? Oh no, you're surely not GAY, are you, SasGAY?"

Sasuke growled as Gaara sniggered.

"Watch your mouth, Subaku," he hissed.

The whistle blew, the ball went up…

Neji and Kankuro hit it at the exact same time, making the ball drop with a dull thud, unable to go anywhere. Neji and Kankuro hit the ground grimacing from the pain of hitting a ball that was also being hit in the other direction. And in that moment, Sakura snatched the ball!

The Firestone fans cheered as Sakura turned and made her way up the court, streaking past the Sunese defenders. She pulled up at the three-point line, prepared to shoot. The ball left her fingers just as…

WHAM!

There were screams and yells as Sakura felt one of the Sunese players crash into her, but the ball still went through the net. 3-0, and Sakura had three foul shots. She took them: 6-0, and it was barely the beginning of the game.

Sasuke, too, infuriated by Gaara's comment, was unstoppable. He was so fast and so quick with the ball that Sasori was having trouble keeping his eye on it. The ball traveled like lightning between Sakura and Sasuke's fingertips as they toiled together to stay ahead of Suna.

Not once did the Sand Gnats take the lead. Slowly, Konoha drew ahead. By half-time, the score was 63-52. Hands were slapping backs as the starters came puffing in.

"Shikamaru, you go in for Naruto, and Shino, you sub for Kiba," Itachi said, flipping through his clipboard. How long can you go, Neji?"

"Maybe another quarter," Neji said, rubbing the sweat off his brow. Itachi turned another page.

"Then Tsume, you go in for him in the fourth. Sasuke and Sakumo, you guys are in for the second half."

Suna was completely shut down in the second half. With fresh bodies in and the animated spirit necessary, the ball went time after time after time into the net Suna was defending. The score was also driven higher by the number of fouls Suna was committing. Already, three of the starters had been benched, their five foul limit expired. Only Gaara, Kankuro, and Sasori remained in the game, and they were definitely flagging.

It was the fourth quarter, and Firestone was leading 97 to 52. They were down to the last ten seconds of the game. Sakura had the ball, and she was weighing her options. To her right, Sasuke was open. Neji was in the lane, but he was almost over three seconds. Sakura had no choice: she had to shoot the three-pointer that she had never made. 

Gaara was angry, angry that Sasuke had finally beaten him. Out of desperation, he nodded at Kankuro and Sasori, giving them his silent permission. They were about to let out their frustrations.

Sakura leapt high over her defender, aiming at the net. As her muscles contracted and she powered up, she felt almost like her father: rising above the conflict and coolly putting three points on the board. No matter if she made it or not, this game was won already. She drew her arms back and prepared to snap the ball…

Suddenly Sakura saw something moving towards her out of the corners of both of her eyes. Two bodies had thrown themselves at her from either side.

Three things happened at once: the buzzer sounded, Sakura shot, and Sasori and Kankuro crashed into her on both sides at the same time. Everyone froze and watched as her shot traveled towards the net, spinning backwards. There was silence as the ball went through the net with a swish. Then all pandemonium ensued.

"Sakumo?! _SAKUMO_!"

Sasuke dashed over to the pileup as the gold and blue stands erupted into cheers. The rest of the team wasn't aware that Sakumo was down; they had dashed onto court and were all celerating. Sasuke saw Gaara's satisfied smirk out of the corner of his eye as he reached Sasori and Kankuro. They were getting off Sakura, who was feebly stirring and groaning. Sasuke knelt by her side.

"Sakumo? You alright?"

Naruto joined him, looking concerned.

"Hey, teme, what's wrong?"

Sakura yelped as she tried to stand.

"My ankle…"

"Hey, can we get some help?!" Sasuke shouted over the melee. Slowly, the rest of the team realized that their star player was hurt.

"Hold on, Sakumo, we're gonna get you some help," Kiba said anxiously, watching as Sakura felt her side and groaned.

"I think they broke a rib…"

"Medical personnel coming through, stand aside!"

A tall, blonde woman forced her way through the crowd and took a look at Sakura.

"Hmm, let's get you to the locker room, young man. Ref, aren't you going to do something about that?" she shouted over heads as Sasuke and Neji each got an arm under Sakura and helped her up. "That was a blatent foul!"

"Tsudane, it doesn't matter, we won the game," Naruto said. Tsudane looked furious.

"Doesn't MATTER?! They hurt one of your teammates, baka!"

She hit Naruto over the head. 

**Locker Room  
**  
"Ouch!" Sakura winced as Tsudane's gentle hands traveled across her ankle. Tsudane nodded.

"Yep, just as I thought."

Sakura gritted her teeth together. "Doc, just fix it so I can play on it!"

The rest of the team crowded around Sakumo impatiently as Tsudane shook her head.

"No can do. Your ankle's broken and the tendon's almost definitely torn. What those two boys were thinking when they both landed on your foot I can't imagine." She took out a clipboard and began scribbling, talking while she did so.

"Now lift your arms over your head."

Sakura could barely bring her hands level with her shoulders before she cried out in pain. Tsudane nodded as she continued to write.

"That's what I thought- your ribs are broken. Now take off your shirt and let's have a look."

Sakura's blood ran cold.

"What?"

"Take off your shirt," Tsudane said impatiently. "Come on, we don't have all day."

"Um, I'd rather not," Sakura said firmly. Tsudane looked up at her.

"Why not? It's not like it's gonna hurt. You're not embarrassed, are you?"

"No…"

"Come on, Sakumo, it's just a little thing," Naruto said. The rest of the team tried to reassure her, but Sakura refused. Sasuke, who was standing in the corner, covered his face with his hand.

"Alright then, sir, we'll go into this little exam room, you and me," Tsudane said. "Let's go."

As Sakura was shunted into a tiny room off the main locker room, she cast a pleading glance back at Sasuke. He averted his gaze.

The glass was fogged over in the door, but everyone could see Tsudane and Sakumo's silhouettes. They saw Sakumo sit on the examining table, saw him pull off the jersey.

The door was suddenly pulled open and Tsudane came out, looking pale and breathless.

"Not possible…can't be…must find Itachi!" she murmured. She cut through the team and left the room hastily. The examination room door was left open just a crack.

"What do you think is wrong?" Naruto asked.

"Maybe Sakumo's rib punctured a lung?" Kiba suggested.

Sasuke only watched as Naruto and Neji approached the door and slowly let themselves in.

"Sakumo?" Naruto's head poked around the door, followed by Neji. To their surprise, there was no brown-haired boy sitting on the table. Instead, a mass of pink hair greeted their eyes. As they stared, the person on the table lifted their head from their knees and looked up, tears spilling from their eyes. Neji and Naruto reeled back in shock.

They saw, plain as daylight, the bandages around the girl's chest.

Naruto and Neji came back out of the exam room looking somber.

"What happened?" Kiba asked.

"Is Sakumo alright?" someone else called. Naruto gulped.

"Sakumo…is a girl."

Hushed cries of astonishment rang throughout the room. Neji looked out over the heads of the team and saw Sasuke standing in the corner. He was the only one who did not show a sign of surprise that Sakumo was actually a girl. And Neji knew. He raised his hand and jabbed an accusing finger at Sasuke.

"And that's not all – HE knew!"

The team turned to Sasuke in shock. But before anyone could say or do anything, the door to the locker room opened and Itachi came in, closely followed by Tsudane. He stuck his head in the exam room for a moment, then came back out. After whispering something to Tsudane, he walked back out without responding to the team. The boys lay around the room in various states of shock.

Sakumo Hayaro, their champion, the star of the Firestone High All-Boys School Phoenix Basketball Team, was a GIRL.

"Come on, guys, let's go," Naruto muttered. One by one, the boys gathered their gear and filed out the door. No one spared Sasuke a glance. He stood in the corner, eyes still covered with a hand. Finally, as Naruto and Neji left, they each shot him a cold glare. The only sound to be heard in the still room was that of Sakura's faint sobs.

Sasuke slowly walked over to the door and pushed it open. Sakura's face was buried in her knees, which were drawn up to her chest. Her wig lay like a dead pet beside her, brown and spiky. She still wore her shorts, but the bandages were clearly visible on her chest. Sasuke stood in the doorway and just looked at her.

"The deal's off," he said softly. His voice echoed off the blue-ish white walls. Sakura looked up at him for a moment, her jade eyes huge with tears. Sasuke almost wanted to drown himself in them, he felt so guilty at the moment. "I guess there's no point in my keeping your secret anymore."

Sasuke turned to leave, slowly closing the door behind him. He hadn't realized it before, but each of Sakura's sobs coming from behind him hurt like a knife. Sasuke screwed his eyes shut and willed himself to block out the sound, but he couldn't do it. Sakura's tears haunted him all the way down the halls and out to the bus, where he knew some rather awkward questioning awaited him.

**DUNDUNDUN!! The first secret is out! What will happen to Sakura? What'll happen to Sasuke? What will the team do? What will ITACHI do?! You'll find out in the next chapter of **_**Alley Oop**_

**I apologize for all the trouble surrounding Chapter 12. I was in such a hurry to put it up that I didn't notice the stupid download thing cut out whole chunks of the story. I'm still figuring out how to make edits and not lose my whole recap to the 'Save Changes' button. CURSED DOCUMENT THINGY!!! lol I will conquer!!!...eventually!!**


	14. The Second Secret Revealed

**This chapter is dedicated to naruhinalover, my 100th reviewer. This one should rock you off your seat:) Enjoy!**

It had been a week since the fateful Districts game. Sakura sat on the couch at her home, her injured leg propped up on a cushion and in a cast. Tear stains marked raw, salty ridges in her cheeks, but she didn't care. Sakura just didn't care anymore at all. Apathy was eating away at her soul, along with sadness and pain.

Beside her lay several letters and magazines, and the TV blared from across the room. Sakura's eyes were fixed unfocusedly on it, not really taking in the images. Her mind had retreated away inside, unwilling to take any more pain.

On the ottoman, beside her cast, lay the letter from Firestone High. Sakura had read it through several times already. Reluctant to refund her tuition so late in the year, Firestone had actually offered to allow Sakura to stay on as a girl: the only one on campus. At first, Sakura had been somewhat elated: perhaps her old friends wouldn't shun her, after all. But after several days and no phone calls or visits, Sakura had come to a dreaded conclusion: the Firestone basketball team was shunning her. She didn't blame them, it just meant more pain at losing her friends.

On her lap and scattered around the couch were various newspaper articles and magazine clippings, each and every one blaring out the strange story of the girl who had managed to trick her way onto an all-boys school team. And that wasn't all: this girl was the daughter of the famous Fire Ninja point guard, Saki Haruno. Sakura had been called a number of things by the media, most of which were quite unpleasant. They all denounced her as a slut for trying to enroll in an all-boys school, sleep in the same room as another boy, and trying to play basketball on the boy's team. Some of the tabloids had even gone on to say that Sakura and her roommate must have had an "understanding" between them in order to pull off this plan. Sakura knew no such thing had happened, and Sasuke would never have demanded so high a price to keep her secret. But she made no statement, no attempt to defend herself.

Sakura, for once, was going down without a fight. The whole affair was over, and Sakura was finished, too.

Get-well cards from Ino, Tenten, and Hinata lay on her lap, but Sakura did not feel like reading them. She would get to talk to her friends again soon enough: she was going back to Leaf High next year.

That'll be a loss for Firestone, Inner Sakura said in a burst of cynicism. Their team will certainly miss me, now that I'll be playing on Leaf High's GIRLS team…if they even let me on after what I did.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Sakura snapped out of her daze, reached over, and hooked the phone out of its cradle.

"Hello?"

A friendly, unfamiliar voice came out of the receiver.

"Is this the Haruno residence?"

"Yes, ma'am, you're speaking to the infamous Sakura Haruno," Sakura said wearily. The woman laughed.

"My dear, you sound as if you've been worn down! Oh, pardon me, I forgot to introduce myself. Mikoto Uchiha, dear."

"Oh, hello, Mrs. Uchiha," Sakura stuttered, suddenly turning red. She felt like burning all the magazine articles she'd collected, even though Mikoto probably had read them all. Imagine, the mother of her roommate calling her! She prepared for Mikoto to explode, but it never came.

"Please, just call me Mikoto," she said kindly. "Sasuke-kun told me your side of the story, and I think the tabloids are being rather unfair about it. Look," she said swiftly as Sakura was about to butt in, "Sasuke says you didn't have anything to do with each other, and I believe him. That's not what I'm calling about."

Sakura felt a wave of relief wash over her. She fell back into the couch cushions.

"Oh…"

"I was calling to see if you would like to come with me to the State Finals," Mikoto continued.

"I'm sorry?" Sakura was confused. Mikoto laughed.

"The State Finals! Firestone made it to States, thanks to you, Sakura, dear. I had an extra ticket, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me."

Sakura gazed around the things piled about her again. Almost all of the articles she had cut out had a picture of Sasuke in them. She had cut out the article, no matter what it said, if it had Sasuke's picture. Afraid she had lost him forever, Sakura had been avidly collecting his picture so she would never forget him.

Her eyes found the Ziploc bag with her folded, clean Firestone team uniform in it. She did have to return that, and she certainly wasn't going back to Firestone any time soon… She might as well go: for the glimpse of Sasuke it would provide, and the opportunity to return her uniform. She nodded, then remembered Mikoto couldn't see her over the phone.

"Um, yeah, sure, that'd be great," Sakura said, with more enthusiasm than she felt.

"Great!" Mikoto said. "I'll pick you up at 3:00 this Friday."

Sakura hung up feeling more ashamed of herself than ever. What kind of excuse to go to a game was that, going to see Sasuke's face one last time? And forget about talking to him – she would only confirm the rumors the tabloids were spreading. But a promise was a promise. Sakura picked up the remote and turned off the TV. Standing up, she hobbled up the stairs and to her room. It was time to get her life back in order.

**State Finals**

"Didn't we get good seats?" Mikoto chirped cheerfully as she and Sakura filed into their seats. Sakura managed a smile.

"Yeah, we're right on the court."

Indeed, they were. Only five rows below them stood the Firestone team bench. Sakura's heart ached as her eyes traveled over the currently empty seats.

A roar went up as the Firestone team came jogging out, wearing their blue and gold. Sakura felt strangely distant as she scanned the fourteen players, watching for a glimpse of raven-black hair.

Instead of heading out on court to warm up like the rest of his team, Sasuke stopped at the bench to run some things over on a clipboard. Itachi had not yet emerged from the tunnel.

"SASUKE-KUN!" Mikoto yelled, waving vigorously. Sasuke looked up briefly, as if he thought he'd heard someone call his name. His dark eyes traveled over the crowd until they reached his gesturing mother. His face brightened slightly, but he made no response. Mikoto pointed down at where Sakura was sitting.

Sakura slid lower in her chair, trying to hide. But it was too late: Sasuke had caught a glimpse of pink. He frowned quizzically at her, then motioned at the bench. Sakura lifted an eyebrow, confused. Sasuke pointed at her and once again beckoned for her to come down.

"What's he want?" Sakura asked faintly. Mikoto looked delighted.

"I think…I think he wants you to put on your uniform and join the team on the bench!"

"NO!" Sakura shook her head, trying to signal to Sasuke that she wasn't going to do it. But Sasuke was only moving over to the gate at the end of the walkway down the bleachers that opened onto the court. He was unlocking it…

"Go on!" Mikoto hissed, giving Sakura a nudge. Sasuke looked up for Sakura again, and Sakura saw the determination in his eyes. Sasuke mouthed something at her. Sakura read his lips perfectly.

_'You're a member of this team.'_

Sakura timidly stood up. Mikoto grabbed the Ziploc-ed uniform and grabbed her elbow, guiding her out. Sasuke stood aside to allow his mother to jump down, then Sakura. He ignored the noise from the crowd, instead, taking Sakura's arm and pointing.

"Just go down the tunnel, there's a girls' room on the right. You can't miss it," he said loudly in her ear. It was the only way he could make himself heard. Sakura felt the goosebumps start to spread, starting somewhere at where his hand gripped her arm. She nodded.

"Come on!" Mikoto said, taking her hand, "we'll have you changed in a jiffy. We'll be back, Sasuke-kun!" she said cheerily, setting off for the tunnel. Sakura turned to follow her, but almost bumped into someone who had stolen up behind her under cover of the crowd's noise. She found herself staring up at her cold-eyed coach.

"Hi, Coach," she managed to make herself say, before Mikoto called over her shoulder.

"You coming, Sakura-chan?"

"Yeah," Sakura said, setting off after Itachi and Sasuke's mother. She still felt Itachi's gaze following her as she set off down the tunnel, following Mikoto. What it was he was looking at, she wasn't sure.

At the end of the first quarter, Itachi was looking restless. He called his team over as the referee blew the whistle.

"Good job, guys, you're doing great," he said emotionlessly. "Sasuke, take charge of the team. I'll be back in a short while."

Sasuke watched him disappear down the tunnel, wondering vaguely where he going. Then Neji coughed, and he turned back to the team.

"OK, guys, Iwakagure's running a tight triangle-and-two. They obviously are trying to shut me down. So here's the plan: Neji, you take it inside…"

The second quarter flew by so quickly that it felt like only a few seconds to Sasuke. The scoreboard glared red:

Konoha – 37

Iwakagure – 33

It was a tight game. Neji was panting hard, he had given his all in the second quarter. Sasuke motioned for him to sit and rest and looked around. Itachi was supposed to be out here for the half-time pep talk, but he still hadn't reappeared. Sasuke frowned. He'd better go find the coach, or he might face some awkward questioning from the refs.

"Hey, Neji, watch the team, OK? I'm gonna go find out what's happened to Coach."

Neji nodded and wrapped his towel around his neck.

"Just get back here in time, you've got several minutes."

Sasuke trotted off the court and down the tunnel. Slowly, the sounds of cheering and the brilliant lights died away as he walked down the echoing, dim corridor. He turned the corner, heading for where the locker rooms were.

"Itachi?"

There was a small scuffling sound, a click, and silence. Sasuke froze. Something wasn't right here…

He turned right and nearly gasped. Sasuke's eyes leapt straight to the gun!

"Get out of the way," Itachi murmured. At first, Sasuke thought Itachi was speaking to him, but then he realized that there were two other people in the corner of the hall. Sakura was standing in front of a cowering Mikoto, her arms outstretched and her face determined.

"No!" she said. Itachi's eyes gleamed red.

"It's your own death."

Sasuke heard the stock click into place. He had one chance, and one chance only.

"ITACHI!"

Itachi stopped, frozen by the sound of his name. Sasuke had no time to attack, no time to plan. He simply did what instinct told him to do: he darted in front of Sakura and his mother, placing himself between them and the gun. Itachi's eyes narrowed.

"So, outoutou, you decided to finally stand up for yourself?"

"I won't let you hurt them," Sasuke said defiantly. Sakura heard the note of fear in his voice. Things were a lot scarier when you were staring down the barrel of a gun. She crouched down, easing the weight on her injured leg. Sasuke was right in front of her, his arms outspread and back, slightly encircling her. Itachi laughed.

"How can you stop me? You have no weapon, no power. One shot is all it takes," he said warningly, tipping the barrel back. Sasuke held his ground.

"I was a fool, Itachi. I stood aside and let you have your way. But this time, I won't let you murder again, not when there are innocent lives at stake."

Itachi cocked the weapon. "I don't want to kill you, little brother. I don't need YOU to die, nor the pink-haired chick. You can both step out of the way, and I'll let you live."

"I'm not going anywhere!" Sakura retorted. Itachi pointed the gun at her.

"Silence!"

"Don't you DARE point that thing at Sakura!" Sasuke roared. Itachi returned his aim back to him.

"I'll say it one more time, brother: get out of my way."

Sasuke clenched his teeth. "No."

_BAM!_

Sakura screamed. Sasuke gaped at the bloody hole now punched through his shoulder. Behind them both, Mikoto cowered even lower.

"That was a warning shot," Itachi said softly, as Sasuke bent double, coughing up blood and clutching his shoulder. "The next one goes through your heart."

As Sasuke looked up, blood slowly blossoming across the right shoulder of his jersey, Itachi leveled the gun straight at the left side of Sasuke's chest. Sasuke grinned weakly through the trickle of blood that was streaming from the corner of his mouth.

"Couldn't do it, nii-san? Couldn't bring yourself to kill me, eh?"

"Shut up." Itachi's eyes remained fixed on the blackish red liquid now sliding from between Sasuke's fingers.

"Whatever happened to your determination?" Sasuke whispered, hearing his voice echo off the silent, dim walls. "Your resolve to kill whatever got in your way? I'm not the one who's lost the battle, Itachi. Your resolve has been waning ever since you first committed murder."

"What on earth?!" Itachi spat. "How would you know, you, you worthless little brat?! I killed our father with every intention of winning that fortune, and I assure you, I will do it again!" He ignored Mikoto's cry from behind Sakura. "When I blamed you for it, brother, I had no second thoughts. I am willing to do anything, ANYTHING, for that fortune! Including killing you BOTH!"

Itachi's finger curled around the trigger.

"Are you ready to DIE, little brother?" he hissed. Sasuke straightened up.

"If I do, I'll take the bullet holes in front, to prove that I finally stood up to you," he said calmly. There was no fear in Sasuke's stance, or his eyes. Itachi smiled cruelly.

"Then I guess I'll make it a double killing, then!"

Sasuke closed his eyes, ready to die. Mikoto whimpered in the corner. Itachi was just about to pull the trigger…

A cell phone rang abruptly in the stillness.

Sasuke opened his eyes a tiny slit. The phone rang again. Itachi fumbled in his pocket with his free arm, pulling out the cell phone and flipping it open.

"Hello?"

_"I killed our father with every intention of winning that fortune, and I assure you, I will do it again! When I blamed you for it, brother, I had no second thoughts. I am willing to do anything, ANYTHING, for that fortune!"_

"What the-?"

Itachi stared at the receiver, which played the recorded message yet again.

_"I killed our father with every intention of winning that fortune, and I assure you, I will do it again! When I blamed you for it, brother, I had no second thoughts. I am willing to do anything, ANYTHING, for that fortune!"_

Sakura smiled grimly as she pocketed her own pink cell phone. Honestly, these things were marvelous.

"STOP RIGHT THERE AND DROP THAT GUN! WE ARE THE POLICE!"

The gun slipped from Itachi's limp fingers as uniformed and armed police rounded the corner, guns at the ready.

"We got your call, miss," one of the officers said, stopping abruptly as he saw Sasuke bleeding copiously from one shoulder. "What on earth happened here?"

"Mom," Sasuke whispered, pale as a sheet, choking on a mouthful of blood. "Hey, Mom?"

Mikoto raised her head, looking in fear at her youngest son.

"I was innocent."

And Sasuke slumped to the floor in a pool of his own blood, just as the media burst from around the corner.

**OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Will Sasuke LIVE?! The completion of **_**Alley Oop**_**, final chapter coming out soon! Let's see...is 30 reviews too much to ask? I know you're all dying to tell me what you thought of my climax!!!!!!**


	15. The End of the Line

**Wow, guys! I feel really bad, ending the fic now! But it was fun while it lasted. Enjoy the fifteenth and final chapter of **_**Alley Oop: A SasuSaku**_

Sasuke awoke in a white room. The window streamed with gauzy white curtains, his body was covered in layers of white. White bandages wrapped around his shoulder and down his torso, securing the bandaging in place. There was only one thing that wasn't white in this room: it was pink.

Sakura's face hovered before his vision: her jade eyes full of concern.

"Sasuke? Can you hear me?"

"Unnh…Sakura, where am I?"

"You're alright!"

Sasuke suddenly came back to reality. "Itachi! Where is he?"

Sakura's hand was twisted around his, he hadn't noticed before. "Itachi's…in jail. While you were out, they held a criminal trial against him, using my clip as evidence against him. They're waiting for your statement, then the sentence will be final. But everyone knows he's getting life, after what he did."

Sasuke sat up abruptly, powered by his joy at his brother getting justice, but forgot that Sakura was right there. He suddenly found that her eyes were inches from his own. He didn't dare guess at how close their lips were…

After an embarrassed pause, Sakura turned away. "I guess you didn't have to kill Itachi, after all."

"No, I guess I didn't." Sasuke looked at his hands, which were in his lap. They were bloodless…

"Well, I told your mom that I'd call her when you were awake," Sakura said, standing up. "The hospital wouldn't let me bring my cell phone in here, so I've gotta go to the pay phone outside. I'll see you later."

"Wait!" Sasuke seized her hand as she was about to go. Sakura blushed again. Another awkward moment…

"Um…" Sasuke wasn't quite sure how to word what he wanted to ask. "Would you…I mean, that is…do you think…is it alright if I take you to dinner sometime? Cause, I mean, I know, if you don't want to…I mean, we ARE…were, teammates…"

He was already half-hoping she wouldn't want to. But Sakura turned even redder and smiled at him.

"Sure thing, Sasuke-kun. As soon as you get out."

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She was there when he emerged, his shoulder free from anything except a perfectly circular silver scar. Her pink hair flowed in the breeze, no longer covered by a brown wig. Her glasses were gone, her face as lovely as always.

They made it to the restaurant, but neither he nor she felt comfortable. As soon as the hostess had seated them and gone to get the waitress, they both stared at their feet, feeling out of place.

"Want to get out of here?" Sasuke offered. Sakura smiled, a genuine smile that lit up her whole face.

"Sure! Where are we going?"

"Um…" Sasuke hadn't thought of a solution. It came quickly. "We could head down to Fujiwara's…"

"For singing, dancing, and great food?" Sakura was mimicking him. Sasuke blushed.

"How about a game of one-on-one?"

"Whatever happened to 'stay out of my way, my life, and my game'?" she teased. Sasuke suddenly realized she was making fun of him and stood up, grabbing Sakura's hand.

"Just come on."

Laughing, she followed him out the door and into his car.

It felt good to be back on the court: a ball in his hand, a net in front of him, and a defender between him and the basket. Sakura laughed.

"You coming?"

Sasuke pretended to think about it, then chestpassed the ball to her.

"Nah. You start."

Sakura took the ball and began the dribbling feat that was evidence of her heritage. The more Sasuke though about it, the more of her father he could see in every move she made. It was almost like he was playing against Saki Haruno…

"Hey! Blocking foul!" Sakura protested as Sasuke stuck his arm out. She had bumped into it, and the ball bounced off her foot and rolled away. Sasuke grabbed her, and, almost without thinking, stooped and put his mouth to hers.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! CHECK OUT SAKURA AND SASUKE-TEME MAKING OUT!" someone cheered. Sasuke and Sakura broke apart and looked around. There, standing on the edge of the court, stood Naruto, Neji, Kiba, Shino, and Shikamaru!

"We understand," Neji said, cutting Sakura off before she could say anything. "Basketball is everything. We talked about it, the whole team, and we decided that you were always one of us at heart. You love the sport as much as we do."

Sakura grinned. "Then you wanna play some ball?"

"There aren't enough of us," Shino pointed out. Sakura grinned.

"I'll just go get Tenten, Ino, and Hinata, shall I?"

Before she could leave the court, Sasuke grabbed her again. He bent low and whispered in her ear.

"Does this mean we're going steady?"

Sakura leaned up and brushed him with her lips. Her jade eyes were teasing him again.

"What do you think _that_ means?"

Sasuke grinned and picked up the basketball.

"Then let's get some game!"

THE END

Lil' Bow Wow's _Basketball_ song (from LIKE MIKE! WOOT!)

**Credits:**

**-thank you to the now-forgotten piece of whatever that inspired me to write this! totally forgetting where I got the idea**

**-thank you to my coach for such a detailed knowledge of how basketball works!**

**-thank you Jesus for my love of reading and writing!**

**-thank you to my mysterious crush, whose grip on my heart has slackened enough for me to openly write about you. Without you, some aspects of this story, and indeed, all my love stories, might never have come to life.**

**-and last but not least, thank you to EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU WHO REVIEWED!!! **

**Woohoo! I'm bad at fluff, so I apologize. Action's my thing, not kisses. So sorry if it wasn't good enough; I wanted a clean and simple ending. **

**Alright, the big FAQ I've been getting:**

**IS THERE A SEQUEL??? I dunno, what do you think? I will write one only if I get enough reviews saying that you guys want one. I've got some sort-of loose ends I can use to start a sequel…**

**And now, for your stats! WOOT! It would only happen thanks to YOU guys!**

**Hits: 6076**

**Reviews: 138**

**C2s: 0**

**Favs: 42**

**Alerts: 49**

**As of the fourteenth chapter. **

**It is with a sad and tear-filled heart that I, High Rhulain, must bid you all farewell for the last time on **_**Alley Oop.**_** I hope you loved the story, and thank you for following me through this!**


	16. The Sequel

YOSH! I can't leave without my final word!

OK, I decided I'll give you guys a teaser for the sequel. I don't have a title yet, but I'll be sure to make it clear in the summary that it's the sequel to _Alley Oop_.

_I got a review from someone telling me that they'd heard that the Firestone guys were pro players! Nah, they're not pros, but I heard that they ARE college players. And let's see…we have to deal with the fraternity Akat Tsu Ki, medical school, law school, and a pedophilic coach at Kishimoto University…_

_Welcome to the big leagues! High school is a thing of the past…_

There's your teaser. All details subject to change at whim of author. :P I think this one will be Sasuke-centric, rather than Sakura-centric. That's all that's certain for now, except for some juicy plot details. Will start writing as soon as I can! TITLE SUGGESTIONS WELCOME!!!


	17. THE SEQUEL IS UP!

UPDATE: THE SEQUEL IS UP!! YOSH! Here's the name of the story:

_For the Love of the Game_ (THANK YOU Miss Ember for the title!!)


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